Return of the JubliAdder Elves
by CheyennePotter95
Summary: A morose Harry - fresh from his Fifth year at Hogwarts - comes into a highly unusual creature inheritence on his sixteenth birthday. Follow Harry as he rediscovers the magical world through new eyes, and learns some horrifying and astonishing truths. H/S
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

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><p>Harry Potter looked up at the clock as the luminous red numbers shifted to twelve o'clock am. <em>Happy Birthday to me,<em> he thought morosely to himself. The date was officially July 31, his sixteenth birthday. It had been just over a month since he had watched his godfather die a horrid death right in front of him, so his thoughts on his birthday were morose at best, lethal at worse. Harry had just put is book up on the hand-made, make-shift bookshelf above his tiny desk, when he felt and indescribable burning pain course through his body, followed by an odd cooling sensation on his back. He just barely had time to hand his snowy owl, Hedwig, a pre-made note to the Weasley's – stating he needed an adult – before he passed out on his messy bed.

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><p>Shortly after Harry passed out, his maternal Aunt, Petunia, entered the small and cramped room and, after setting the medium sized bowl of room temperature water on the desk, tucked him in gently, wiping the sweat from his head with a damp cloth. She then tidied up the room a little – not that it truly needed it – and sat at the desk to watch over her nephew, her sister's son, as she had every year since his parents' death when he was just fifteen months old.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: First - this story is, so far, un-beta'd. If anyone thinks I really and truly need a beta, PM me. Second - please review! Even if it is just to criticize me, do so. I want this story to be the best it can be and for the reader to fully enjoy it. I wont post the next chapter until I have at least two reviews. Third- I will try to update on a schedule. It will - hopefully - be Sundays and Wednesdays, but if I can, I will post more often.<strong>


	2. Chapter I

**AN: OMG! I'm such a horrid author. I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter. Here it is: Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Harry Potter characters and plots that you recognize. They belong to the oh-so-wonderful J.K. Rowling and her oh-so-wonderful associates. I make no proceeds off of this story. Anything you don't recognized, on the other hand, I take full credit for. Alright, now that the disclaimer is taken care of, here is...**

**Chapter I**

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><p>As six o'clock drew near on the morning of July 31, Petunia Dursley, of 4 Privet Drive, stood from her post of watching over her nephew, Harry James Potter, and started gathering her things and straightening his bed sheets. It had been a rough night for him, and he had been extremely restless because of that. At midnight, he had been five feet, ten inches with a healthy tan, striking green eyes that had noticeable flecks of blue, a head full of black-brown hair that stuck out everywhere, and lean muscles gained from working outside. To accompany his striking looks, he had an affinity with nature and a temper like no other that was set like a bomb.<p>

Now, after six hours of pain and fever from his creature inheritance coupled with his magical inheritance, he was roughly four feet, seven inches and pale, delicate-looking skin. His hair had two very different colors in it. The left side of his hair was a deep ebony color – nearly a blue-black – that still stuck out everywhere, and the right side was a deep auburn that suited his temper more and was straight and flat. His hard-earned muscles had disappeared and that made him look even more delicate. A set of ebony-colored feathered wings had sprouted from his back, and now cocooned him in a loving embrace as if they were protecting him from the world. He hadn't opened his eyes, but she knew what they would look like. The left eye would be a dark emerald; no flaws in coloring, and the right eye would be a light sapphire; no flaws in coloring._ Just like Lily's creature and magical inheritance, _she thought sadly, remembering a time almost twenty years previous when she helped her little sister through this.

Sighing, she caressed Harry's now angular face that reminded her so much of Lily's – the high, prominent cheekbones, the small, slim nose, the rosebud, cupid bow lips, the finely arched eyebrows – it was all Lily. Only his love of adventure and his leading skills truly remained from his father. She sighed again and left the room. Not only would a Weasley adult arrive today, but also she needed to keep Vernon, her controlling bastard of a husband, away from Harry today – and at all costs.

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><p>Groaning, Harry opened his eyes and sat up, putting on his glasses at the same time. He made a quick mental check of his wellbeing. His clothes, while normally large, seemed even larger today. The next thing he noticed was that his eyesight was different. Everything was overlapped with colors. <em>Weird. That has NEVER happened in all of the strange and odd things that have ever occurred to and around me.<em> Looking at the time, he saw that it was two thirty-five in the afternoon. He smiled and mentally thanked his Aunt. He had always had a special connection with her and his cousin. His rather large cousin, Dudley, portrayed a spoiled front to the world and his father, but was really a kind and funny young man. Aunt Petunia portrayed a gossiping wife and seemed to hold herself aloof from everyone else, but was actually a loving mother, aunt, and confidant. Suddenly, he was broken from his thoughts by –

"Harry? Mum says that it is alright to come out of your room now." Dudley stood outside his closed door waiting for him. Today, they and Aunt Petunia would be redecorating the basement fun room they had created for themselves years ago. Standing, Harry didn't even notice that everything seemed suddenly larger and opened the door. "Bloody hell Harry, you have wings!" Dudley watched, horrified, and his cousin fainted at his announcement.

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><p><strong>AN: Like, Dislike, Continue, Discontinue, Problem? Then please review and tell me. You just have to hit the little blue button down below. ;)<strong>


	3. Chapter II

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own any of the Harry Potter characters and plots that you recognize. They belong to the oh-so-wonderful J.K. Rowling and her oh-so-wonderful associates. I make no proceeds off of this story. Anything you don't recognized, on the other hand, I take full credit for.**. If I owned Harry Potter, Severus, Sirius, Fred, Remus, Tonks, and Colin wouldn't die.**

**Chapter II**

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><p>After cleaning up after herself, Petunia went downstairs to make breakfast for herself and Vernon, all the while thinking up a story to keep Vernon away from Harry. But, luckily, he did not ask about him. Soon, he was out the door and on his way to work. Petunia sighed in relief and tidied up the kitchen and went to the basement. She planned to have the meeting with the adult that came down here, because she did not want the neighbors to see Harry's wings. She also planned to divorce Vernon and take Dudley to her parents while she taught Harry. She knew that the Wizarding world knew about what creature inheritance Harry had come into because it was an Evans' family trait that only appeared to those with awakened magic. She vacuumed and mopped the floors and dusted the appliances and tabletops, and then made a telephone call to her lawyer.<p>

"Good morning Mr. Wilson. – Yes, and thank you for faxing the divorce papers, my nephew has been ill lately. – Yes, I'll – Oh no Mr. Wilson, don't worry, I'll attach the proof. – I-yes, yes. May I send the papers over with my son, Dudley? – Yes, he's very responsible and I trust him with this. – Thank you Mr. Wilson." Petunia set the phone back in the cradle and smirked. _Vernon won't know what happened, the bastard,_ she thought. _And it'll serve him right._ She went back down to the basement and opened the safe. She needed to finish organizing their identification papers for travel and put them in order. She also got Dudley's school reports and transfer papers from Smeltings and Harry's school reports form Hogwarts.

Around eleven that morning, Dudley came down and entered the basement, munching on an apple taken from the hanging fruit basket in the kitchen. "Morning mum. Is Harry okay?" Petunia had told both boys about Harry's possible inheritance, and both were okay with it, Dudley more so than Harry.

"He's still asleep Popkins." Petunia had started calling Dudley Popkins and Harry Pumpkin when they were little, but now just did it to annoy them. Ignoring Dudley's face, she continued. "I was going to let him sleep in. Now, once you finish eating, can you take these papers to Mr. Wilson? I've already talked to him and he says it's fine for you to bring them in. When you get back, you need to pack the rest of your clothes and games. Leave the gaming systems, and computer – I've already backed everything up from that onto the CD's – But pack your clothes, books, and games, whatever, but keep it as light as possible. We can buy new things if needed. I don't plan to be here when your father gets home, though that should be easy because he's going out drinking with his friends tonight." Dudley grinned and nodded.

"Don't worry mum, I'll be quick and I'm almost completely packed anyway. The video games are almost packed, and the only books I'm taking are the first editions and autographed. I've packed almost all the clothes I want to take. See you when I get back mum." Dudley took the folder and walked out of the house and took his bike to Mr. Wilson's office.

Back in the basement, Petunia finally finished organizing the important papers and put them into respective folders. She then pulled her wallet from her apron pocket and checked to make sure her license was there, and then pulled the money she had saved over the years from the safe and put it in the wallet. Closing the safe, she stood and picked up her papers and walked upstairs to her suitcase. She quickly pulled the fake bottom out and slid the papers in, and then placed half the money in there as well. Quickly, she packed her clothes and jewelry – the latte going in the fake bottom – and took her two bags to the basement. She then took a smaller bag and placed some over the counter medicines, tooth paste, tooth brushes, combs, hair brushes, floss, deodorant, and other toiletries in there. That, too, went in the basement. Looking at the time, she noted that it was one o'clock. _Dudley should be nearly back now,_ she thought idly. She pulled out today's To Do list and checked it:

_- Turn in divorce papers (check)_

_- Pack papers, money, and other important things in F.B. (check)_

_- Pack my clothes, jewelry, novels, and others in two bags (check)_

_- Pack toiletries (check)_

_- Make sure Dudley is all packed_

_- Make sure Harry is all packed_

_- Have refreshments for Weasley adult_

Petunia walked upstairs, telling Dudley, who had just walked in, to make sure his bags were in the basement, and quickly packed Harry's trunk, giggling at how obsessively clean the interior was. She left all the clothes she was forced to put on his back, still grumbling about not being able to treat Harry to at least one shopping trip, but folded his school uniforms, robes, cloaks (winter and invisibility), sweaters from that wonderful Weasley woman, and his Quidditch uniform. Then she opened the lid and packed them in tightly to make sure everything else would fit – she was determined to make sure he got a three to five compartment trunk like Lily's – and then neatly packed all his books (five years worth!), and made sure his cauldron and supplies were safely packed. Closing and locking the trunk, she and Dudley hauled it into the basement. Petunia went back upstairs to make sure Hedwig got put in her cage when she returned. After a few minutes, Hedwig soared gracefully and silently through the open window carrying a letter. Petunia set the letter down and set Hedwig in her cage, filled the water and gave her a couple of owl treats. Dudley took Hedwig to the basement while Petunia opened the letter.

_ Harry,_

_Arthur and I are unable to come – Order business – but I'm sending Bill and Charlie to pick you up. I sure hope those muggles are treating you right – you are always too thin. Happy Birthday dearie._

_ Mrs. Weasley_

Petunia scowled briefly. She always let Harry have what he wanted whenever she could. She stuck the letter in her apron pocket and walked downstairs and made some refreshments for the meeting. By the time that was done, it was two thirty-three.

"Dudley, go upstairs and wake you cousin please." Petunia sat down and sipped at a glass of water. She smirked when she heard Dudley exclaim about Harry's wings, but frowned at the thump she heard.

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><p><strong>AN: Well? Getting better or worse? Want opinions (aka reviews) please. After all, they are the food for the brain of the author. ;)<strong>

**February 25, 2012 AN: Check my profile please. Things are explained there. If you have questions, either PM me, or review with your question. TTFN, my lovely readers! ;D**


	4. Chapter III

**AN: Damn, I'm SO sorry about the delay. Life has been horrid recently. Now, I shall give the disclaimer so that I can't be sued. Here it is: Disclaimer:****I do NOT own any of the Harry Potter characters and plots that you recognize. They belong to the oh-so-wonderful J.K. Rowling and her oh-so-wonderful associates. I make no proceeds off of this story. Anything you don't recognized, on the other hand, I take full credit for.**. If I owned Harry Potter, Severus, Sirius, Fred, Remus, Tonks, and Colin wouldn't die.****

****_"Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. Remember me to one who live there; She once was a true love of mine." - Scarborough Fair/Canticle from _The Best of Simon and Garfunkel.****

****And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of All Ages, I present to you the one, the only, the - MAGNIFICENT - ****

****Chapter III****

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><p>Slowly, Harry became aware of whispers around him. His head hurt and he had a slight headache. <em>Did I fall, or did Uncle Vernon have a bad day? No, Uncle Vernon wasn't here. Dudley came to take me downstairs, so what happened? <em>Harry recalled what had happened, and groaned. _Must've fainted. Wonderful._

"Harry? Oh dear, can you sit up for me please? Are you alright, anything out of order?" Mentally, Harry grinned at his aunt. She would never admit to it under torture, but she bordered on over-bearing when she was worried. "It's two forty-five, and Bill and Charlie will be here at three. I need you to wash up before hand – and I want a full shower from you. Before you move, let me tell you your physical changes so that you can compensate. You lost roughly fifteen inches – I'm sorry about that – you've lost your tan, your eyes are two different colors, your hair is two different colors, your bone structure has changed – you look more delicate and a whole lot more like Lily – your arm muscle seems to have gone, though it might be more at your back now, because you have wings – very nice wings, I'd imagine they are soft, but they are ebony feathered. I know you fully trust these two Weasleys, so I will too, but one wrong move and they will regret it, I hope they will realize that. Now, I want you to use this bathroom. I will tailor one of your uniforms so that you have something that not only allows your wings, but will fit properly too. Go on." Harry smiled faintly and walked into the basement bathroom, still trying to come to terms with the changes. _I LOST fifteen inches! Damn it! I was at a decent height before, but now…! Shit. Anyway, I wonder what the color changes are. OOH, nice. I like the eye contrast. And the colors are flawless, how lovely. Hmm, the black stayed but it's darker, and, ooh, that's mum's hair color. I'll betcha the sapphire eye is from dad. And damn, half my hair defies gravity, and the other half is tame! Talk about confusing!_

The bathroom was done in nice colors that all three had agreed on. It always reminded Harry somewhat of a forest. There was oak wood paneling with a dark finish for about three and a half feet then a variety of greens – dark, forest, emerald, grass – which started dark then lightened towards the ceiling, and the ceiling was done to look like a sky. The only color Aunt Petunia had insisted on was a sort of pale pink that looked more like peach than pink. He saw that Aunt Petunia had set out his bathrobe – already tailored for his wings – so he took a quick shower.

Five minutes later, Harry exited the bathroom in his bathrobe. The basement looked more like a game room-den mix. The walls were paneled in mahogany wood and set up in one corner was a billiards table while in the opposite corner stood a card table that had numerous board games on the shelves next to it. The back wall of the room, however, held the main attraction. A brown leather couch and three comfortable burgundy armchairs were in a good-sized semi-circle around a good-sized television and hooked up to the television was a game system. In the near-by cabinets, games used to be stored there – now, the good ones were in one of Dudley's bag, except for Harry's favorite, one of the racing games. Aunt Petunia had gotten out the sewing machine that was held down here and was taking care of Harry's uniform – his black slacks, white oxford button down, and his gray sweater vest with his house crest, a proud lion on its back paws, roaring. She was nearly done, and a couple of minutes later, Harry was dressed and playing the racing game with Dudley.

Upstairs, Petunia got the tea tray ready for the guests. She pulled down the petunia and lily patterned tea set, a wedding present from Lily, and set five cups and saucers, sugar, cream, and a plate of tea biscuits along with the teapot, tea leaves resting in a removable straining tray that dipped in to the pot. The water was on the stove, nearly boiling. She smiled gently at Harry's cheers from down below, almost covering her son's groan of dismay. _I wish they didn't have to pretend to hate each other. It makes things so difficult sometimes._ Petunia poured the water through the strainer and let the tea start to steep. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was only two fifty-five. _Oh good. The tea will be done just in time to greet the guests. Now, Harry said that Bill Was tall and lean with long red hair and a fang earring and that Charlie was shorter and stocky with really short red hair and a lot of burns._ Soon, the doorbell rang.

Petunia hung her apron and opened the door. There in front of her stood two men that completely matched the descriptions Harry had given her.

"Mrs. Dursley, I presume?" The taller of the two, _Bill,_ her mind supplied her, spoke softly. "My name is Bill Weasley, and this is my brother, Charlie. May we please come in?"

Petunia nodded and stepped aside. "Please do. I understand that you know what really goes on?" The question was rather open ended, but other than her childhood friend, Severus Snape (who couldn't tell anyone due to his oath to the Evans family anyway), no one knew the truth about what really happened at 4 Privet Drive (Vernon's beatings of both Petunia and Harry, and how Harry, Dudley, and Petunia truly got along). She knew that they knew that if they gave the wrong answer, she would boot them out faster than they could blink, and she probably wouldn't let them live long if something bad really happened.

"Yes, and I must say that it is a perfectly horrid thing." Petunia nodded, relaxing ever so slightly. They had given the correct answer. They followed her through the kitchen, where she picked up the tea tray, and into the basement.

"Now we can talk. Harry, Dudley, you need to wrap that up. Our guests are here." Bill and Charlie sat on the couch while Petunia took the middle armchair.

"We're nearly done anyway mum. Harry's kicking my butt – _again_." Dudley groaned as Harry crossed the finish line, signaling the end of the game. Bill and Charlie were quite amused when Harry took a victory lap around the basement, ending in his aunt's lap.

"Didjya see auntie? Huh?" Harry asked excitedly. He was grinning widely and his eyes were lit in glee. The two of them were glad to see a bright glint happiness in his eyes that they hadn't seen when they first met him.

"I did see that Pumpkin. You did well, and I'm proud of you. Now, turn around and greet your guests." Petunia pecked Harry's temple and set him in the chair next to her so that she could pour the tea. "Bill, Charlie, how do you take your tea?"

"One sugar and a dash of cream please." Bill turned to Harry and opened his arms. "Hey punxy. Long time, no see at all. About a year, no?" He had seen Harry last summer at Grimmauld Place, but it was very briefly, a fleeting glance.

"No sugar or cream, and a slice of lemon, thank you Mrs. Dursley." Charlie grinned crookedly at her and turned to his brother. "Now please stop hogging drag-fly. I haven't seen him since he was fourteen." Bill and Harry laughed before Harry moved to hug him.

"Here is your tea. This is Dudley, my son and Harry's cousin. Harry, has your taste in how you fix your tea changed with your changes? Or do you still take it as half cream with three sugars and a lemon slice?" Petunia's voice held a teasing lilt to it as her son gagged at the description. His tea was already made with a sugar and nothing else.

"You got that right Aunt Petunia. Sound's just lovely." Harry moved back to his seat and picked up his tea, sipping quietly. After a few minutes of small talk, where they all learned a bit more about each other and got comfortable. Finally –

"I feel you two need a bit of background information. No matter what you were told, I was never jealous of Lily's magic. I am an Evans – why would I be jealous of her, when I have a sort of magic all my own, as shown in my sewing skills. My _magic_, as we called it, makes me a very good tailor. Besides, The Evans' family is just a very long line of high-powered squibs. I was there for Lily, and I vowed to myself to be there for Lily's children if she couldn't be. But that requires sixth months of one-on-one training. To be able to do that, we need your help. My parents are still alive, and I planned to leave Dudley to them and…" Petunia trailed off, and Charlie, understanding what she needed, raised his wand.

"I, Charles Weasley, do hereby swear, on my magic and my life, to not betray anyone in this room. So mote it be." They could all feel the magic swirling around them, oath settling in, binding them to make it true. Just as the magic had settled down, Bill swore the same oath, and Petunia continued.

"I will take Harry and train him myself. He won't return until the thirty-first of January. We need you to travel with us to the Evans' castle and, once Harry and I leave, keep Dumbledore and his order – and the rest of the world – from trying to find us. So…"

Bill and Charlie turned to each other and grinned evilly. "This is worthy of the Twins. We'll lighten and shrink your bags, glamour you, and leave by way of the Knight Bus. Beware, that is one bumpy ride."

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><p><strong>AN: Wow, I would say sorry about what I did to present the chapter, but I was fucking well bored, and needed something to smile at. And the lyrics those are from my favorite song, but if you think I, a teenager, should listen more to the music of today, please, keep those particular opinions to yourself, or I'm sorry, but I will lay into you. My life, my choice of music.<strong>

**Anyway, Love it, Hate it, Review it. Pretty please? (Begging and Pouting here.) ;)**


	5. Chapter IV

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, its characters, or its plots. They belong to the wonderful Ms. J.K. Rowling and her associates. Any thing you don't recognize, I take full credit for.**

**AN: So, I'm sorry for the long wait, but I must say, thank you for being patient, that means a whole lot to me. And now, without further ado – **

**Chapter IV**

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><p>"So, you're telling us that Mr. Potter left behind a letter stating that he was disappearing for six months to train, and that we shouldn't worry about him? That's absurd. Th' wee barn' dinit think, eh?" Professor Minerva McGonagall's Scottish accent broke through on her last statement, showing everyone just how worried she was for him. But she still remembered the tiny child who saw her and reached out, calling 'Aun Min!' She missed that child, so carefree, and it had hurt to see him return nearly six years ago looking so serious and war weary, suspicious of everything and everyone.<p>

"Potter never thinks, Minerva. I thought, perhaps, that you had realized that by now." Severus Snape, the youngest Potions Master and Potions Professor at Hogwarts drawled slowly, and seemingly unworried, towards his colleague, but even then, he was worried. He had sworn to Lily, his best friend, to keep her brat safe, and now he had gone and put himself where he couldn't protect him. His only condolence was that if Lily's family, the Evans Hierarchy, was involved, he wouldn't have to worry.

"Severus, I'm sure that Harry is telling the truth, and that he did think about it. I can tell, even though I'm not him, nor am I there, that the pros outweigh the cons in this." Remus Lupin, a thin, haggard looking man spoke softly from the doorway. His tawny hair fell into amber eyes, and the scars on his too thin face shone in the candlelight. Slowly, he walked into the room. "Sorry I'm late. But I have a strong report as well. So Harry decided that he needed more training? Good, I've said many times that he wasn't going to stay put like a good child and let the war come to him. He's headstrong – like Lily – and stubborn – like James – and can't sit still. He won't let himself die if he can help it. If it happens, he wants to be doing something good." Remus smiled slightly. "My wolf knows he's safe, so it's okay with me." But inside, his wolf was howling, demanding its cub. _He's with the Evans' Hierarchy, so he's safe._

Molly and Arthur Weasley knew that Bill and Charlie were holding things back, but both also knew that those two were under magical oaths. They weren't overly worried about Harry's safety, but would rest easier once Harry had returned.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Leader of the Light, Defeater of Gellert Gwrindlewald, and self-proclaimed Leader of the Order of the Phoenix, was perturbed. His weapon against Lord Voldemort had slipped his leash. His weapon had stymied his progress to have him defeat Voldemort and then either A) have him arrested for murder, or B) proclaim him the next Dark Lord – and kill him. That is, if he survived the encounter. _This is not in my plans. He wasn't supposed to be trained. He was supposed to stay as untrained as possible, and then face Voldemort and die in the process. He is not supposed to be independent – he is supposed to depend on me, marry Ginevera, pop out a brat or two, die and give all his money to me and the Weasleys. He's also not supposed to know he has any remaining family other than the Dursleys. _Hiding his thoughts as they came, Professor Dumbledore put on a concerned and weary look. "Are you absolutely positive that this is not a trick?"

Bill's mouth quirked in a sort of half smile and withdrew a letter and phial of blood. Handing them to the headmaster, he spoke quietly, "Yes sir. We ran numerous tests on both the parchment and blood. Both Ron and Hermione have confirmed that it is written in Harry's handwriting." Charlie nodded along with Bill's statement. They both knew what the letter said.

_Dear Order Member,_

_This morning, around seven, a man of about twenty years old appeared in my bedroom. He told me he was an Evans and that he could help me train for my eventual encounter with Lord Voldemort – and don't flinch. It's just a name he made for himself! The drawback, as he said, was that the training takes six months to complete, due to the complexity of the training schedule. I know that is a long time for me to be out of public view, but the Evans Hierarchy is famous – even in the Muggle world – and to not accept is not only a completely stupid move (yes, Professor Snape, I do have a brain that I use) but is also an insult. As it is, the pros far outstrip the cons, so good-bye until January thirty-first. Please do not let anyone try and contact me, because they will not allow outside contact during training – he says something horrible will happen to the sender if they do. The way he spoke, it would probably be either possibly fatal or humiliating to the extreme. However, if someone could please tell the Weasleys and my friends 'I'm sorry for not sending owls, but Hedwig had not come back from hunting at that time,' for me please, I would really, really appreciate it._

_Harry Potter_

_P.S. – Are you going to Scarborough Fair? I need parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme._

Professor Dumbledore ran several tests over both the parchment and blood before –

"I guess this really has happened. But what should we tell everyone?" He was planning on telling people that Death Eaters had captured Harry Potter, but that probably wouldn't go over so well. Maybe –

"We tell everyone the truth. The public can choose to believe us or not, but that is what they deserve, and nothing less." Professor McGonagall stood and looked around as if to dare anyone to challenge her.

Once told, the Wizarding World was in an uproar. The majority of the population speculated that Harry Potter was dead. Others thought that Death Eaters had kidnapped him. The rest just accepted the truth and stepped up their protections and spellwork. Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and Ginevera Weasley were…

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><p><strong>AN: Haha, I gave you a clifie! Didja like it, dislike it, love it, or hate it? Please review no matter what, my darling readers! Also, I'm not very good with accents, so please, bare with me. If some one is bothered with what I manage and wishes to give me a hand with that, feel free to review me with corrections for what has bothered you. Thank you.<strong>

**OMG! I just took my ELA TAKS test yesterday (Wednesday, March 7, 2012) and the essay prompt was 'Write about a time you felt free.' How open-ended is THAT? I had a hard time with that essay. Add on top of that the fact that I have hardly gotten any sleep this week because of my knee, and I don't think I did as well as I could have. :( Oh well, life is life, and you just have to roll with the punches she throws you. Or dodge them, whichever. :)**


	6. Chapter V

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter characters or plot. They belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling.**

**Hey, I'm sorry about the wait, but I was not only exhausted, but had a slight Writer's Block.**

Chapter V

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><p>Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and Ginevera Weasley were Furious, with a capital 'f' due to the raw emotion behind it. Not at Harry, though, never at Harry. They were Furious at the majority of their classmates, who had decided one of two things – Harry either had abandoned the side of the Light, or he was dead. It was now October 31, exactly three months since Harry had disappeared for training. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were sitting in the back corner of the library, near the Restricted Section, with the rest of the Gryffindor Sixth Years – Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown, and Parvati Patil. The sixth years had always been close, and this year, they had started to see Ginny as part of the 'family'. The eight students had been very quiet this year – Hermione didn't try and answer every single question in class, Ron turned in improved homework without Hermione's help, Ginny's temper had all but disappeared, Seamus and Dean didn't crack perverted jokes, Neville spent less time in the greenhouses, and Lavender and Parvati didn't try and predict everyone's futures. The Professors had gotten very concerned for the welfare of these students, even Professor Snape. They had watched taunts about Harry's welfare get thrown at them from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses, and even from Gryffindor house, but the Slytherin house left them alone. Professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick had discovered Draco Malfoy – prince of Slytherin – and his bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, apologizing to them for the years of grief. They had also told them that Slytherin house, on a whole, had decided to, not exactly help, but not add to the taunts on the Gryffindor group.<p>

"I wonder how Harry's doing." Lavender Brown looked up from her tarot cards, brown bangs that had escaped from her braid falling into her eyes, and looked at her best friend, Parvati Patil, whose dark hair was also braided. Parvati's Indian accent was almost buried in her worry as she spoke quietly to the rest of the group. Light brown eyes met dark brown eyes, and they both gave strained smiles, trying to reassure each other. Hermione's honey eyes watched the two girls with unshed tears.

"I don't know 'Vati, I just don't know for once. But we know Harry. He'll be fine, and I'm sure he's training hard. He never does things by half, except his homework. Ron, can you pass me that Ancient Runes book please? Thank you." Hermione had finally given in to 'Vati and Lavender, and allowed them to cut her hair and style it, teaching her the best way to, not only style it, but to control the frizz. Her bushy brown mess had been turned into an almost straight layered bob that curled around her jaw line and accented her face. She refused the shopping offer to replace her entire wardrobe, though.

"I'm also quite sure that he is taking a moment to remember what he lost this day fifteen years ago." Neville's dark hair fell into his eyes that gleamed with a passion not many had seen on the shy Gryffindor's face.

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><p>Neville looked around at his friends – no, his family. They were broken. Despite what they presented to the rest of the school, they were afraid for Harry, for their brother. Ron and Ginny were in front of one of the two windows in their hidden alcove playing a fierce, yet silent, game of Wizarding Chess. Ron's hand ran continually through his already mussed red hair, and his bright blue eyes flashed passionately. <em>It makes him look like he's just been snogged, or maybe like he just had a good shag, <em>thought Neville, off handedly. _He knows several ways to win that game, and Ginny is the only one good enough to challenge him properly, well, other than Malfoy, anyway._ Ginny's light brown eyes were steely, refusing to admit that Ron had her king almost completely backed into a corner, both figuratively and literally. She shook her head adamantly, her flame-like hair swinging side to side in its high ponytail, refusing to admit defeat.

Hermione sat next to Ron, surrounded by large tombs, doing her homework. He thought that it wasn't all homework due to the fact that many tombs had no title. Though, considering Harry penchant for attracting danger, and the fact that tombs with no title were usually filled with old and advanced magic, it was a good thing she was looking these things up. Neville himself was sketching a diagram for a new Herbology project. He would be down in the Greenhouses to do it, but Professor Sprout had threatened to kick him out if he didn't spend more time with his friends and do his other homework. He knew Dean was sketching too. What, he didn't know, but he was glad that Dean was sketching more. He had completely stopped sketching when he realized that Harry wasn't coming back anytime soon. Looking around, he couldn't find the black boy, but he could hear his charcoal moving across the parchment.

Seamus was following Hermione's example – the Irishman was doing his homework in a timely manner. The professors were shocked, as all of them knew quite well, because the quality of the work of everyone here was going up. By an unspoken agreement, they all decided to learn as much as the possibly could so that Harry wouldn't be too far behind – if he would even be behind.

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><p>Seamus was scared. Ever since the summer before fifth year, he had had a crush on Harry. The other boy just didn't know how he affected people. Harry's aura was like a refreshing wave of water as it crashed over you. As the year went on, his infatuation had grown, and over the summer, he had analyzed his feelings for Harry. He knew it was more than a crush. It was closer to love. It didn't matter if Harry loved someone else in the end. He would let Harry go, just to see him happy. Seamus dragged his hand through his dark brown curls. He was very scared. Not for himself, but for Harry. Would Harry never get to hear how Seamus felt? <em>No, I'll let Harry know. I'll tell him.<em> He squinted his gray eyes in thought. _How, though? How should I tell him? How should I let him know I'm sincere?_

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><p>Madame Pince stood in the shadows, watching the group in her domain. She knew what the students thought of her, but she didn't mind. As long as a student treated books correctly, she didn't mind the student. But this group, even if they mistreated books, would always be her favorites. Something about them had struck her heart, even before this year. She knew all the Professors worried about these students, she heard them at the staff meetings. Even the teachers that claimed to not like them were worried. <em>These students are mine,<em> she thought viciously. _The ones causing them problems had better not bring it in MY library. They won't know what hit them._ Irma Pince made a promise, right then and there, to protect the students in front of her. Little did she know that the heads of each house had made the same promise as her at the same time.

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><p><strong>AN: Disney World was fun. It was slow going, because of my knee, but I loved the sights. And this is up earlier than I expected! YAY!<strong>


	7. Chapter VI

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, its plots, and its characters. They belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling and her associates. The plots and characters that you do recognize belong to me.**

**Hey, I'm sorry for the wait. Not only have ma grades been slipping, I just haven't had time for this. But now, may I present - **

**Chapter VI**

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><p>"You've done very well in your ranged combat, not that I'm surprised. You are a very combative person Harry. To be honest, you have definitely surpassed my expectations. Lily was more of an infirmary type healer who hated the thought of maiming and killing. You, however, are a fighter and a battlefield healer. You prefer the healing side and you'd rather maim and incapacitate, not kill." Petunia Evans continued to fill the silence in the training room, knowing her nephew wasn't paying full attention to her. She pushed her dark blond hair out of her eyes, made darker by the sweat soaking it, and smiled at Harry. He was standing there, across the room, toweling off his hair, which had grown to his chin by now, and cooling off. This round of testing hadn't been as winding as August, but it still took it's toll on the body. "She would hate the fact that you are the center of the war. You were her light, her center of the world. James' too. The two of them would have, and did, do almost everything they could to keep you safe. But James didn't know that Lily was an Evans, so they couldn't come to the mansion. She also didn't have time to. They were constantly near people close to Dumbledore. I'm sure you remember September's lessons. Anyway, tomorrow, you start another month of etiquette – this time revolving around dinner functions." Petunia looked at Harry's training schedule: <em>August-Hand to Hand Combat, September-Etiquette (Political Functions), October-Long range Combat, November-Etiquette (Dinner Functions), December-Magical Training, January-Etiquette (Dances).<em> Because Harry and Dudley had not grown up with the rest of their generation of Evans, he and Dudley were taking five years worth of etiquette in three months. Otherwise, Harry would be rejoining his classmates tomorrow. "You know, this training complex is in Godric's Hollow. The cemetery is not too far away. I should have taken you to see your parents' graves years ago."

Harry looked up from where he was listening to his Aunt with half an ear (he had been wondering how his friends were holding up) and mentally repeated her last statement. "May we go? I didn't even know where they were buried. I've dreamt of them fo' so lon' tha' I almos' ga' up on it." As Harry continued to speak, his Irish accent came through, even harsher than Seamus' accent, and he spoke like that all the time. Almost no one knew that Harry Potter was Grandson to the King and Queen of magical Ireland. Petunia nodded.

"I'll call a taxi in fifteen minutes Harry. Go freshen up." Harry was glad that the very first thing he had learned was to retract his wings. They were now just a tattoo across his shoulder blades, back, butt, and upper thighs. The tops of his wings, since they had extended above his head, had wrapped over his shoulders and came down his front, stopping at his hips. The sides of the wings had, thankfully, appeared on his ribcage, and not his arms and hands. He ran off quickly, throwing a quick 'Thank you' over his shoulder as he went. He spent five minutes getting thoroughly cleaned, struggling briefly with his hair, as it now required conditioner to help with the tangles. After years and years of not growing, unless it was to grow back after getting it cut, it had started to grow, and rapidly. After three months, it had grown three months and settled just below his collar line. _If it continues at this rate, it will reach the bottom of my shoulder blades by the end of January. I've always wanted long hair; it looks cool. And hopefully the weight of it will help the unruliness of the black side,_ thought Harry. Quickly, he dried off, bushed his teeth and hair, and dressed in his chosen clothes. He was grateful for his new wardrobe, gotten by his newfound grandmother, MaryAnne. He pulled on some black skinny jeans that hugged his legs and butt, and a black muscle shirt that showed off his sinewy muscle. He may have been thin, and not obviously muscled, but he had some form his training and Quidditch. Looking at his shoes, he saw his shoes for training, his dress shoes, his school shoes, and a pair of muggle shoes that he had insisted on – black, high top converse. Putting them on, he grabbed a thick green over shirt. It was October, after all.

Going downstairs, Harry was surprised. His aunt was wearing something that would have looked nice during one of Uncle Vernon's dinners. It definitely looked better than what she would wear to those. She had on a black dress with ¾ sleeves and a high neck and long skirt, paired with some simple black flats. Ten minutes later, the two of them were in a taxi and headed to the cemetery. On their way to his parents' graves, he caught sight of a symbol on one of the graves that he recognized from his extra reading in September – The Deathly Hallows. Putting it out of his mind for now, he continued on after his aunt. It was nearly eleven pm when they reached them. He knelt down and examined the graves. One said _James Potter, b: 27 March 1960, d: 31 October 1981_ and the other read _Lily Potter, b: 30 January 1960, d: 31 October 1981_. Both held the epitaph _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._ Harry smiled sadly. _Now I know when they were born,_ he thought sadly. Then, he started talking. He talked about his childhood (emphasizing that it wasn't Aunt Petunia's fault), learning about being a wizard (and sharing the story of Hagrid coming to get him), his life at Hogwarts (rivalries and adventures included), his friends (and how they had formed a family together), and Quidditch (including all his injuries and the Dementor attack and jinxing in third and first year respectively). When he had exhausted his subjects, he sat back and let Aunt Petunia have her turn. By three am, the two of them were ready to go back to the complex. They would be returning to the Evans Mansion at daylight.

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><p><strong>AN: So... Yeah, not much to say at this time. I'm sorry, I really am.<strong>

**AN2: Okay, please review if you think I need a beta. This has been bugging me for a while: Do I need one, or shall I go with out? If you Beta, and you think I do, tell me. I'll search you or anyone you recommend. Thank you. And even if you don't think I need one, please review. I want to hear your thoughts! I even welcome flames! **


	8. Chapter VII

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters. They belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling.**

**Chapter VII**

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><p><em>The students are… twitchy, <em>thought Professor Snape amusedly. _I have never seen them on edge like this, not even a first year Hufflepuff class._ Quietly, he shared this fact with the other house heads, and received fierce glares for his efforts. They all knew why the students were like this. It was January 31, the day Harry Potter was supposed to return. The teachers had received a shock that morning when they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast – the entire student population, excluding those in the Hospital Wing, were waiting, wide awake and anxious, for breakfast to arrive. Even though it was a Friday, they had cancelled classes, knowing that no one would pay attention. The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors were all debating whether or not Harry Potter would return. The Slytherins and eight isolated Gryffindors were waiting quietly, knowing that he would return. They were just wondering what would happen when he returned. In the past three months, the verbal insults from the rest of the school, as well as the taunts, had grown into hexes and, when the Slytherins were involved, fights. The teachers were just hoping that the return of Harry Potter would stop this once and for all.

Sighing in exhaustion, Harry Potter started his way from the library to his last etiquette lesson – and the ensuing tests. Shaking his head, Harry made a mental note to formally apologize to Parvati Patil about the Yule Ball in fourth year. She had not deserved, not only his attitude, but also his inability to dance then. After a month of grueling lessons, Harry could dance the waltz (slow and monotonous), the foxtrot (rather upbeat and happy), and the several styles of tango (sensual and enjoyable). _I much prefer the type of tango that is… spontaneous and has a lot of improvising. I love it when a dance that beautiful takes the entire dance floor. Makes people really notice the beauty of it all, _Harry thought with a slight smile. He hoped the tests weren't as grueling as the lessons, though, because he did need enough energy to make it through dinner at Hogwarts. _Hmm, I wonder how many students think I'm dead, how many think I skipped the country, and how many think I went dark? This will be fun._ Harry's smile spread into an evil grin. Stopping by his room, Harry dropped off his books, one of which he had been rereading – _The Truth and Facts of the Evans Family by Adriane and Arianna Evans, edited over the years by their descendants._ The book had been published for the family way before _Hogwarts, A History_ said that Hogwarts had been built. There was only one copy for members of the Evans Family, and it appeared to them on their sixteenth birthday (if you were a witch or wizard) or your seventeenth Birthday (if you were a squib). He had started reading it on September first, as part of his first etiquette lesson. He had enjoyed reading the passage despite the surprises he had received on the first read. It was a very short book, to be completely honest, but it intrigued him into reading it several times over.

_ A magic-wielding Evans will come into their magical inheritance at sixteen, a year younger than normal magic-wielding humans. With that inheritance, comes a creature inheritance. (Edit: 1619, Lyra Jane: Many wizards and witches of my time consider this a curse, not an inheritance. I will write a book on concealments if this is true in your time, and charm it like this book.) This creature is called the Jubilant Adder SnakElve (Pronounced with a long 'a' sound and a silent 'l' sound). Wizards and Witches have shortened this name to 'Jubli-Adder Elf'. We represent Change. A change to the Governing, Wars, it doesn't matter. We change things. We are warriors. If a major war is happening, you can see one on the front lines. We have not lost a battle yet. (Edit: 1718, Brandon Lyndon: We have lost a battle, and three-quarters of the Evans Family today.) We will Change the World with Each Generation._

_ We have several identifying features that differ Evans to Evans. At the end of this, we will include the meanings behind several of our features. Every Jubilant Adder SnakElve will have pointed ears (like a high elf) (Edit: 1810, James Gerald: High Elves are now believed to be extinct, or they have withdrawn from the Wizarding World), cat-like eyes, a forked tongue, and feathered wings. The varying features are our hair (messy ebony or straight auburn), eyes (deep emerald or bright sapphire), and our stature (short and pale or tall and tan). The most commonly seen combination for females is straight auburn hair, deep emerald eyes and a short and pale stature. For the males, the most commonly seen variation is messy ebony hair, bright sapphire eyes, and a tall and tan stature. Legend speaks of a Jubilant Adder SnakElve with both hair colors and both eye colors, but there are no recordings of this phenomenon. These legends are said to be very powerful before their inheritance, and even more so after the fact. (Edit: August 1996, Harry James: I, Harry James Evans-Potter, have just been through my inheritance. I have half messy ebony and half straight auburn. I also have one bright sapphire eye and one deep emerald eye. I am unsure to my power level at this time. It's recorded now.)_

_ Every Jubilant Adder SnakElve is naturally affiliated with nature, and has three animal forms – a Phoenix (symbolizes change and life), an Adder (unknown as to why), and a form to match their spirit. This last form is most commonly called their Animagus form._

_ Every Jubilant Adder SnakElve has a mate to balance their nature and/or magic. At the beginning of their seventh month after transforming, he or she will have a month of dreams about their mate. During this time, the mate will also have dreams. While the Jubilant Adder SnakElve will learn their mate's identity, but the mate will never learn the identity in their dreams. Once they have their mate's identity, he or she will have one year to pursue their mate and complete the bond, or the Jubilant Adder SnakElve will die._

_ Meanings:_

_ Straight Auburn – Fire Elemental_

_ Messy Ebony – Air Elemental_

_ Deep Emerald – Earth Elemental_

_ Bright Sapphire – Water Elemental_

_ Short and pale – Submissive to mate_

_ Tall and Tan – Dominant to mate_

He smiled as he thought back to his reaction – or lack thereof – to the meanings of his features. He had known since fourth year that he was gay, and he wasn't too surprised about the elements. He had learned fast that the impossible, or improbable, would happen around him. He was slightly upset about the mates, because he had like Seamus since the end of fourth year, but Fate had it in for him. _Maybe, if I'm lucky, I can have my favorite Irishman,_ he thought wistfully. Opening the door to the small ballroom, Harry shook his thoughts from his head, and walked up to his cousin, Kathryn Evans, daughter of William Evans who was the twin of his mother.

"Shall we, Kat? How long do you think we'll be dancin' this time?" Harry and Kathryn grinned at each other, fully aware of the time they were told to keep dancing until told to stop, and then Aunt Linda, Kathryn's mother and their instructor, left the room and made them dance nearly six hours before both of them collapsed from exhaustion, as that had been after a long run for being late to that lesson.

"No idea 'Ry, no idea. But this is to check how well our form is, so it shouldn't be too long. Then we'll have our down time before you run ta Hogwarts. Spend it with tha kids and Joslin." Kathryn grinned as she left her proper speech behind and started to dance.

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><p>It was lunchtime, and the professors of Hogwarts were worried. Harry Potter had yet to return. The majority of the students were starting to taunt the eight Gryffindors, who had retreated to the Slytherin table for safety. Ginny Weasley supported a black eye that she had refused to let Madame Pomfrey treat. Hermione Granger had a healing cut on her chin, and Ron Weasley was in the hospital wing with a broken wrist. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had taken to reciting death omens to people as they walked by, scaring those who would have cursed them. Neville Longbottom was left alone after he had followed through on a few threats containing some of the more dangerous plants he worked with, and Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were proudly supporting black eyes and bruised knuckles.<p>

"I do hope the child is alright. His friends miss him, and I wish all the violence in this school would stop." Pomona Sprout, Herbology Professor and Hufflepuff head of house said. "I know Harry wouldn't like it. Have any of you noticed that his personality could have placed him in any house?" Pomona asked. "He is loyal to his friends and works hard to keep them safe."

Filius Flitwick piped in. "He is very intelligent, even though he doesn't seem to be book smart, and he can explain things in ways that his classmates understand, whereas I was having trouble trying to find out where they were having trouble." His squeaky voice sounded embarrassed as he told his colleagues this.

"He also rushes into situations, normally because he is the one there at the time, but he does it with courage, and that is what counts in his situations." Minerva McGonagall spoke up, and then, seeing that Severus was not going to pick it up, she continued on. "He is also very cunning and ambitious. He does get away with things, but that is mainly because we cannot easily pin them on him. Most of what we suspect he does is just that – speculations. If he really did many of the things Severus tries to blame him for, then he can hide his tracks well. Many consider that a Slytherin trait. You're right Pomona. But could you have handled him, and what we do manage to catch him doing? Because when we do, it is major things. I have trouble sometimes, because, even though he looks like his father, he is his mother's son. He will get this glint in his eyes that makes me want to take him in and, well, pretty much mother him. Lily did that as well. With James, it was like a rambunctious nephew. Severus, even though it seemed like some of his pranks, the more dangerous ones, went unpunished, they were punished. Just not by point loss. I told the rest of the house what he, or they, did, and let them just give it to him. And when they were done, I let him have it, and then I called families. But with Harry, just like I did with Lily the few times she got in trouble, I take points." Minerva sighed, wishing that James and Lily were alive and that Harry didn't have to fight for his, and the whole worlds', life.

"Well, Mr. Potter is very resilient, despite the number of times he has been in my Infirmary. The boy has never, to my knowledge, been sick," Poppy Pomfrey quickly reassured her colleagues. She and Irma Pince were worried, though. Hogwarts was quiet, despite the split in the school. Even Irma, who loved the peace and quiet, missed the noise Harry brought, even when he was in the library. But the two of them were, at this point, more worried for the eight Gryffindors that Harry had left behind.

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><p>Sighing in relief, Harry and Kathryn plopped down at the dining room table. It was lunchtime, and they had just finished the last of the training tests. Kathryn was two days older than Harry, but had waited a couple of days to start training so that she could help him study in her off months, since she had grown up learning what he had covered in the even months.<p>

"So, now that we are done, should we eat first or tell everyone?" Kathryn grinned at this. Harry had yet to spend time with the _entire_ family, and had only met everyone in fleeting meetings over three months. There were their grandparents, Joshua and MaryAnne, their three remaining kids, Petunia, William, and Renée, their spouses Linda (William's wife) and Romulus (Renée's husband). Then there was their generation. Petunia had Joslin three years before she was married when Vernon had raped her, and Dudley. William had Kathryn, Alyssa, and Ian. Renée had quadruplets (Isabel, Jonathan, Kaleen, and Jordan) and Thomas. All in all, there were eighteen people living in the Evans Mansion.

"Uh, let's eat first. I don't think I can move." Harry was scared. He remembered all the short meetings, and while he was glad he had a photographic memory, since it meant he wouldn't mix people up, he was wary of crowds. But the decision was taken from them as two young boys raced in, their auburn hair flashing.

"They'we done! They'we done! Now we cin eat!" The two sixteen year olds grinned at the childish tone of the four year olds. The emerald-eyed boy crawled into Kathryn's lap. "Wight Katrin? We cin eat now?"

"Yes Ian, we can eat now. Tibby!" At Kathryn's call, a house-elf appeared with a sharp pop and curtsied.

"Yes young mistress? What can Tibby dos for you?" Tibby's royal blue uniform skirt and white blouse was clean and pressed, and a sky blue apron covered her front. On each article of clothing was the general Evans family Crest – a simple shield with an azure background, and on that, a rampant lion.

"We will need lunch for eighteen please." Harry turned in shock toward Kathryn, before turning and catching Thomas, as he was about to fall from his lap. The sapphire-eyed boy grinned sleepily up at Harry and snuggled in close.

"Yes young mistress. It will bes up soons." Tibby popped away, and Harry spoke quietly.

"It looks like these two will need naps after lunch." Kathryn nodded, not paying much attention as everyone else trooped in. For so many people, it was very quiet.

Soon, lunch was over, and Harry and Kathryn trooped upstairs with the four year olds who were halfheartedly protesting naps.

"How's this. You too need rest. It doesn't matter if you sleep or not, but lay quietly for an hour, at least. Even I, at sixteen, need naps sometimes." The two boys nodded, but asked to rest in Harry's room. The two sixteen year olds agreed, and soon, both boys were sound asleep on the head of Harry's bed.

"Harry, Grandpa has something for you. Every Evans gets a new trunk for their sixteenth birthday. It has seven settings; I guess you could call them. When it is in the travel setting, it is a simple wooden charm on a necklace. The other settings are a desk, a wardrobe, a normal trunk, a potions lab, a library, and a flat. It is made of Cherry wood and Oak wood. Here, unpack your old trunk, and repack in it this. It all has undetectable expansion charms, feather light charms, unbreakable charms, and wards that can be activated and deactivated on your command. Tune the trunk to you by adding a drop of your blood here," she pointed out the small indention on the cube charm. "You will only need to do this once, and when you do this, imagine what you want the charm to look like. The flat has a floo connection, and it will only connect to the other trunks in the family. Here are the floo addresses; you will need to choose one for yours. Oh, and once you imagine a trunk, It will be a trunk. From there, there will be instructions. Have fun." Kathryn quietly left the room, and Harry withdrew a knife. Quickly, he pricked his finger, imagining a wolf and dog howling, with a stag that had lilies in its antlers standing over them. Letting a drop of blood fall into the indent, the box reshaped itself into what he had imagined.

Grinning, he thought of a trunk, and it morphed again, stretching and elongating, distorting until he had a trunk on his bed. There were several buttons – a cauldron, a hanger, a sheet of parchment, a book, and a door. Shaking his head, Harry separated his stuff from his old trunk – his uniforms and other hanging clothes, his socks and shoes and things that don't hang, his books, his cauldron and Potions ingredients, his quills, ink, parchment, and penknife, and his other school supplies (telescope, Hedwig's carrier, food, and treats) and whatever else he had collected over the years. In the new trunk, _Man I love the smell of this wood, it's heavenly,_ he placed his shoes and socks, scarves, hats, mittens, gloves (dragon hide and regular), telescope, Invisibility Cloak, Marauder's Map, and other junk. Carefully closing the lid, he moved the trunk to the ground and pressed the hanger. Fascinated, he watched the morphing closely, but got motion sick from it. Quickly, he hung everything neatly in the wardrobe, and continued to the lab. The ingredients cabinet captivated him – it was about three cubic feet on the outside, but revolved on the inside with about six cubic feet or more. _I love magic, it is always so … I don't know, convenient, I guess._ Before his thoughts ran away, he opened the desk, and secured a bottle of ink, placing the others in the special drawer that protected them, and the quills went in front of them. In another drawer, he placed all his empty parchments. Built into another drawer was a miniature filing cabinet for his homework. _Damn, Grandpa thinks of everything._ Then came the longest task, sorting his books. _Should I go by year, or put each subject together and then place those in each category by year?_ After fifteen long minutes of internal debate, he put his books up.

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><p>By mid-afternoon, Ron and Hermione were struggling to keep their friends in a positive state of mind. They had been sure Harry would have arrived by now, but he was a no show. Lavender and Parvati were huddled together, looking over photo albums of the eight of them in the previous years, silently crying. Neville was researching plant cross-species avidly, while Ginny wrote down notes on what he said. Dean was sketching again, and this time, they could all see it – it was dark and forbidding – and it chilled them to the bone. Seamus was despondent. He refused to respond when people asked him questions, and it was rough to get him to walk. They were not looking forward to trying to get him to eat something at dinner. They were just glad that this had started today.<p>

~ Time Change – Dinner Time ~

The eight Gryffindors sat amongst the sea of green and silver that signified the Slytherin house. All of them were quiet, except for softly muttered words of encouragement to get Seamus to eat. Just as they were about to give up and return to the tower, there was a flash of light, a thud, and a soft 'Oomph' in what was obviously Harry's voice. But the person standing there did not look like Harry Potter. The boy standing there was fifteen inches shorter – he was four foot seven instead of five foot ten – had half messy black hair and half straight auburn hair, and, once they got a look at his eyes, no glasses and one green eye and one blue eye. But the grin was unmistakably Harry and the posture was him, as was is voice as he called out, "Hey mates, how had the last six months been?"

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><p><strong>AN: OMG! I'm so sorry. I meant to update earlier, but I have TAKS tests coming up, and my teachers have been running me ragged. I'm sorry, and in the AN chapter I had posted, I was completely unaware of what I was writing, because I was exhausted when I did so, and my eyes were opened by one reviewer telling me off. Thank you for that, and I'm extremely sorry for making you feel that way. But I was also basing it off of other stories I've seen that Had fewer chapters and more reviews that came along after mine AND how many hits and 'favorite stories' I've gotten, and how few reviews I've seen. It is saddening, But I also shouldn't take it out on the reader. All right, I'll get off my soap box now. Again, I'm sorry.<br>**


	9. Chapter VIII

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or the recognizable characters, for they belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. I only own the unrecognizable characters and the plot. Thank you.**

**AN: Hey, I'm sorry about all that's happened. For those who don't read my profile or aren't my friends in RL and don't know what has happened, it will be explained at the end note.**

**Chapter VIII**

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><p>Harry grinned at the stunned look on the majority of the Great Hall. <em>Most likely they thought that I wouldn't return. Ha, as if. I may be aware of what Dumbledore has done, but I do know Occlumency now. I will always return to my friends, and my Irishman.<em> Harry moved forward, not even concerned about the fact that they were with Slytherins. He was quite Slytherin-like himself, and his friends had accepted it. Opening his arms, he knew that there were going to be hugs. Not to be disappointed, Harry braced himself as four girls flew at him.

"Where have you been?" Hermione hissed, half angry, half relieved.

"Why did you think it was acceptable to scare us like that? We tried to divine if you were alright, but something was blocking that," Lavender and Parvati sniffed.

"Don't even think of doing that again, Harry James! Mum was so scared, and Dad, too." Ginny leaned back, looking Harry straight in the eye.

"I'll try not to, Ginny. Lav, Vati, there are several enchantments up around the several places I visited to prevent any form of scrying. I guess they decided that trying to find out if I was okay was a form of scrying. And Hermione, I can't answer that right now." Harry let go and continued to the guys, coming across Neville first. Harry grinned at the number of dirt stains. "So, Nev, have you found any new plant species?" Neville growled before grabbing Harry in a headlock.

"You really enjoy worrying us, don't you 'Ry? Don't do that again." Neville let Harry up, and pulled him into a quick hug, before pushing him on. Standing up, Harry faced Ron, who glared briefly before hitting the side of Harry's head.

"That was for just disappearing without leaving an extra note for us. Just don't that to us again. Mum was seriously considering taking you over her knee. She says you're her seventh son, and she will treat you like it. She doesn't like being scared like that, especially by one of her kids. Besides, Dean's drawings have gotten creepy. Go on." Ron's blue eyes shined in relief as Harry moved on, and he pushed Harry, who pushed back with a grin. The grin, however, disappeared as he got a good look at Dean, who was standing in front of Seamus, hiding him from view. Dean reached out and flicked Harry's forehead.

"Don't worry about me right now. Seamus is not responding to anything. Go." Dean moved aside, and Harry stumbled again, scared at the look in his love's face. Seamus' eyes were dead, and he didn't seem to know where he was. Harry moved forward, dropping his school bag, and sat next to him.

"Seamus? Are you… Irish, are you there?" Harry reached out and tapped his arm. Seamus turned his head slightly toward Harry. The whole Great Hall was still quiet, to which Harry stood and spoke to them.

"I'm back, I'm safe, I know more than when I left. Yes I'm shorter, no, I did not die my hair, and no, I am not wearing contacts. I will not talk about what happened, but know that I intend to win this war. Now please, stop staring. It is giving me the chills." He sat back down, and turned back to Seamus, who was staring at him as if he had never seen him before in his life.

"You're back. You're really back." Harry nodded, smiling slightly, and Seamus pulled him into a tight hug. "I thought you would never return. It scared me. We all took notes on the classes, and Snape is the Defense teacher, can you start up the DA again? We don't fully understand his lessons; he doesn't really explain what we need to do. We have a new Potions teacher, Slughorn. Hermione says the lessons are easier with him than when we had Snape."

Harry chuckled. "You're rambling Seamus. Have you eaten dinner? If not, do so. I ate before I returned. When we get back to the dorm, I have something to tell all of you. Just one question, how did you get Ron to agree to sit at the Slytherin table? I know how he felt when we left, so what changed?" Seamus laughed, and Dean answered.

"Long story short, it was safer here than at the Gryffindor table. We'll tell you more about it later. Glad you're back, mate." Harry grinned at Dean, inwardly cringing. _If Gryffindor has done the same thing as they did back in our first year, it's bad,_ he thought.

"Okay then. We'll exchange stories tonight. _All_ of us." Not many knew it for sure, but Harry was the leader of the Gryffindor sixth years. Last year, he and Hermione worked on the empty space in-between the two dorms, turning it into a small, private common room. Harry, trusting Professor Snape, asked him to be the secret keeper for the Fidelius charm, making sure no one else could find them. As they finished dinner, Harry talked quietly to Draco, getting his side of things as an outsider to his Gryffindors. The walk up to Gryffindor tower was quiet, with Harry staying close to Seamus the whole time, to the quiet amusement of the others. It was quite obvious to everyone but those two that they liked each other. Seamus was trying to pick up the courage to grab Harry's hand, and Harry was refraining from clinging to Seamus like he was his lifeline. He was trying to remember that he had on month of dreams, but he only wanted one Seamus Finnigan. Arriving at the Fat Lady's portrait, Hermione was about to give the password when Harry grabbed Seamus and pulled forward.

"Hello again my dear lady. Did you miss me?" Leaning into Seamus, since they loved to sweet talk the Lady into letting them in without the password, Harry said, grinning slightly.

"Harry Potter, is that you? Oh dear Merlin, thank goodness you're alright. Seamus here hasn't been talking much since you left, dearie. May I join you in my other portrait tonight?" Seamus and Harry grinned, and spoke simultaneously.

"Of course, our most dear lady. We plan to begin at curfew." Since there were three hours until curfew, they had time to talk and get some other things out of the way before Harry started his tale.

"Oh, that's just wonderful dears. Things have been too quiet around here. I miss being woken at night by you sneaking out to do whatever it is you need to do. Go on in, the lot of you, and don't tell a soul." The Fat Lady swung in, and revealed the Gryffindor common room, in all its gold and scarlet glory. Harry blinked furiously, trying desperately to get used to the glaring scarlet couches, curtains, and rugs paired with the brilliantly bright golden chairs and ottomans. The dark wood tables, framing for the seats, and paneling were the thing that tried to temper the glittering colors. The common room was fairly empty, only those who had left before Harry returned were in there. Quickly moving, they split up and went to the dorms to open their personal common room. After neatening up the place, Harry shed his travelling robes and revealed his outfit: some skintight black jeans, an emerald silk button up, and pure black high top converse. Seamus started drooling, his eyes glazing over as he started daydreaming lusty daydreams. He was brought back by a sharp jab in the side by Dean, who was laughing silently.

"Now, time to get some stuff out of the way before curfew. First off, some truths. Here, quickly read this book, and then pass it around. I'll answer questions at curfew, so write them down if you have to." Harry passed abound his copy of _The Truth and Facts of the Evans Family by Adriane and Arianna Evans, edited over the years by their descendants._

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><p><strong>AN: Hey, so sorry about the delay. One: I didn't have this chapter planned out at all. Two: I had finals three weeks ago, Summer School for Advancement two weeks ago, and this past week has been spent in Florida at Universal Studios (for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter), a mall, and Disney World. Three: Troubles in "Paradise" has thrown me off kilter, but I've managed to throw that off. I've spent the past week finishing this chapter. What's sad is that I am still on the road home, and I have internet, whereas when I was at the rental house, I didn't. Anyways, I hope this was a good chapter, and I'm sorry again for the wait.<strong>


	10. Chapter IX

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters you can recognize. They belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling. What you do not recognize is mine. Thank you.**

**AN: Sorry about the lateness, but that will be talked about in the end note:**

**Chapter IX**

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><p>"It's really short, and a very easy read. Hurry now." Harry sat back, as the girls all read it together. That was shy he had handed it to Hermione first. <em>She'll finish first, and Vati and Lav will read together anyway. They just understand hurrying. And the guys will probably do the same so that I can give the juicy bits. They are worse than gossiping old ladies, I swear.<em> Harry's thoughts stalled as Seamus threw his arm over the back of the couch, and therefore over Harry's shoulders. On his other side, Dean did the same thing. They both leaned in looking severely angry. Harry gulped nervously. Dean started.

"Do you have any idea how scared we were Harry? We thought, no matter what was said, that _He_ had you." There was no need to indicate who _He_ was. While they didn't say 'You-Know-Who' they still couldn't handle saying Voldemort's name. "The more we speculated, the more we thought it was true. Things did point that direction. You don't want to see what my imagination drew up. Ron said my drawings were getting creepy, and he doesn't know the extent of it. And I had nightmares that could rival yours." Dean stopped and leaned back, withdrawing his arm in the process. Seamus leaned closer putting himself bare inches from Harry's face. Harry discretely drew in his scent, which always managed to smell like alcohol, even though he didn't drink. He supposed that was just a perk of his Irishman. Harry looked into his dark eyes, which, to his surprise, had a few unshed tears in them.

"Next time you disappear like that, and then just show up out of the blue, I'll tie you up, then tie you to a bed, then tie that bed in a tall tower, and guard over you myself if that's what it takes to keep you safe, and to keep you from scaring us." Seamus started to lean in even more, before something clicked in his mind and he backed up, the serious expression faltering into a scared expression, mixed with something Harry couldn't identify, before becoming serious again. He leaned back against the couch again, but kept his arm where it was. Harry was confused. _Was he about to kiss me? Not that I would have objected, hell, I would have encouraged it, but, wh-_ Harry's thoughts cut off by Hermione saying that they were done with the book. Ron and Neville grabbed the book and Dean joined them, but Seamus stayed. "I'll look at it later, guys. Don't worry about me." Harry noticed that Seamus' accent had all but disappeared. It was very faint.

As soon as they finished, Seamus grabbed the book, and skimmed through it, all while muttering under his breath. Even as close as he was Harry couldn't tell what he was saying. When Seamus finished, he passed it to Harry, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the couch.

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><p>Seamus grumbled under his breath. <em>So Harry most likely won't even be able to consider me. He has no choice in his mate. I guess I lost my chance long ago.<em> Seamus stood and walked to a corner, away from his love. _But if he's happy, then I'll be content._ With that, Seamus turned back around, having totally missed Harry's forlorn expression when he first moved away.

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><p>Harry then focused on his wings, willing them to appear. The deep ebony feathers shone in the firelight and his friends gasped.<p>

"Bloody hell Harry, those are…" Ron seemed to have trouble finding a word to complete his sentence without sounding like Lav and Vati, who were squealing about how beautiful his wings were. Ginny was speechless, as was Hermione, which really surprised him. Dean had a glint that told Harry that he would be a subject to draw sometime in the near future, and Neville was awed. Seamus, however, was unreadable. _Is he disgusted?_ Harry wondered. _I hope not, but…_ Harry shook those thoughts out of his head, and willed his wings away.

"So, I think that is the majority of it until my story, so why don't you tell me what has been going on." Harry looked around, seeing bedrolls and blankets and pillows. "It looks like you have had to camp out in here. Are things that bad?" The grim faces of his friends told him yes, things _were_ that bad. Harry sighed, disappointed in his house, because one should feel safe in their common room, not have to hide from even their house.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, sorry for not updating recently. I got home from Florida, get about a week to be free, then I have a camp to get ready for, and very soon after that, I have vacation. I had internet, I read when Everyone else was asleep, if I couldn't sleep, but I didn't have any energy left over what so ever, so writing was out of the question, especially since I went home with a migraine. And then for the past two weeks, I have been getting ready for marching band. On August first. I might have to go on a temporary Hiatus until late November so that I can focus on Marching band. We have state this year, and I want us to actually make it, and not break it this year. I will, hopefully, be able to update as soon as marching season ends, if I am able to work on it during my little down time.<strong>

**Now, my readers. I have a question that I would like answered, either via PM or Review, the choice is yours. I was wondering if You would eventually like me to start a 'Reading the Books' series. I've seen a lot of controversial stuff, and varying opinions on the matter, and I don't wan't to lose readers, so the choice is mainly yours. My action depends on you.**

**Sorry for the long Author's Note, I actually find it annoying when authors do that, but I know this isn't as long as others, so... Until next time!  
><strong>


	11. Chapter X

**AN: Alright, not much to say at this point. So on with Chapter 10, I guess.**

**Chapter X**

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><p>"So let me get this straight. You are getting hexed left, right, and center by the Gryffs, Claws, and Puffs, and are only safe with the Snakes? And I thought all we went through these past five years were bad." Harry sighed at the nods. "And the only time they stopped was at threats from you guys. At least you didn't get in trouble with those threats."<p>

Hermione sniggered. "They actually backed up our threats with their own of point loss, detention, and talks to parents. I've even heard Madame Pince mumbling what she would do if they brought the trouble into the library, and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty when I imagined it." Harry was shocked. Just then, the curfew bell chimed and The Fat Lady slid into the empty frame above the lit fireplace. The room was a muted tie-die, a mix of everyone's favorite colors. The carpet was beige, and the baseboards, if one looked close enough, had a pattern of snakes, lions, eagles, and badgers all around. The frame was the only one in the room, and it was a dark cherry wood with a lion on the bottom two corners and a vine design all around. A plaque at the middle bottom read 'Lady Emmeline'.

"Hello, dearies. How are you tonight? No problems, I hope?" Emmeline sat in the dark gold satin chair in the portrait that also had a muted red backdrop, the epitome of Gryffindor.

"We made it just fine Emmeline. Thank you for asking. I hope the rest of the house wasn't too bad." Hermione answered while shutting the white curtains on the charmed window. Ron stood and shut of the muggle compact disk player in the corner that had been playing softly. They wanted no distractions while Harry told his story.

"Harry, dear, please fill us in on what you've done in your absence. I have missed your comings and goings at night." Harry blushed lightly, knowing that the comings and goings were usually in times of trouble or when he couldn't sleep.

"Well, I guess it starts with the fact that my mother was an Evans. Emmeline, do you remember my mother returning home for her sixteenth birthday?" She nodded and Harry continued. "Every Evans turns into creature on their sixteenth birthday, and with that comes their magical inheritance…."

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><p>After Harry finished telling about the basis of the Evans inheritance, he started on his training. "It took me six months because I had to also complete the etiquette that every Evans grows up with – the dancing, the history, the politics, the manners, how to organize and throw proper parties – all of that. And I had to have everything done before the seventh month starts. But in the other months I trained in martial arts, archery, sword fighting – including fencing, because every refined aristocrat must know fencing," here Harry adopted a very snobbish attitude and sat straight with his nose in the air. "And not to mention throwing knives, daggers, staffs, and I think that about concludes the non magical defense I took. One whole month was dedicated to my magical defense and offense, and some healing techniques. And you know what? Aunt Petunia and Mum had a brother and sister. Uncle William was mum's twin, and Renée was a year younger. Aunt Petunia has Joslin, 20, and Dudley, 16. Uncle William has Kathryn, 16, Alyssa, 10, and Ian, 4. Aunt Renée has Isabel, Jonathan, Kaleen, and Jordan, 15, and Thomas, 4. So you see, I may not have siblings there, but we have eighteen people there when all of us are together. We rival you, Ron, Ginny. In sixteen years, eleven children were born. It's a full house, or it would be. See, my great-great-great-great grandparents built, by themselves and with their four house elves – Hermione, they have uniforms and sick leave; we tried to give them holidays too, but they refused that and pay – a mansion-like house. It's not really one, but it is pretty wide, and fairly long, with three stories, and several smaller buildings around it. An old servant house that is now a storage shed, some horse stables, an outhouse because at one point the house is too far away, an orchard, a flower garden, an herb garden, a vegetable garden, a corral, and a field we run around in and have picnics because of the pond. There is also woods at the far side of the field where we have several connected tree houses. We've gained a lot of land over the years, so there is some unexplored 'territory'." Harry stopped, realizing that he had finished up his summer and had gone on a tangent about the grounds. "Sorry, that was my 'summer' as it were. You are all invited sometime this summer. Mimi and Popo want to meet my friends and their families." They all nodded eager after Harry's description of the place. "Any questions?" Head shakes were his answer, having had their questions answered during his explanation. Lavender looked at the time.<p>

"Oh dear Merlin! It's nearly midnight! We should get ready. I'm not ready to return to the dorm yet, though." Lavender looked at everyone, kind of saddened. "I don't want to leave you guys tonight. We can still bunk in here, though." Everyone agreed, and the two black couches, the burgundy loveseat, two brown armchairs, the coffee table, and the three end tables were moved to the sides of the room. Then the blankets and pillows were brought out. Then, the most interesting body pattern worked out. Ron and Hermione grabbed him and pulled him in the center, while everyone else created a human knot around them.

"Umm, guys, if you plan to keep me from leaving while you're asleep, I hope you realize I wake up at four am to meditate and go over some of my martial arts." Harry looked at the sheepish and surprised looks, and shook his head. "Just warning you."

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><p>Harry woke gently, knowing that a violent awakening could warn any possible captors. He was surrounded, and somewhere unfamiliar. <em>What happened?<em> Harry thought, and slowly, the events of last night filtered into his mind. Even though he only had four hours of sleep, he was used to little sleep, and his meditation rested him even more than sleep did. Harry slowly untangled himself from his best friends, and was almost completely out of the tangle of bodies when he found himself face to face with Seamus. For some reason, he started to blush. His dreams were going to start tonight, and he hoped that they starred the person in front of him. Seamus' eyes were sleepy and his face was frustrated. Without a single word, Seamus grabbed Harry around the waist, and lay back down, falling back asleep, and holding Harry tightly, refusing to let him escape. After a few half hearted struggles, Harry settled down, decided to forgo his martial arts, and just meditate the entire time.

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><p>Harry faintly heard the worries around him as his companions woke up. Slowly, he ended his meditation, just as Ron discovered him in Seamus' arms.<p>

"Blimey mate, you could have just told us." Harry chuckled, until Seamus shifted. His leg had been thrown across Harry, and he was curled around him to minimize the amount of movement he could perform.

"Well Ron, you see, I woke up, and was trying to go meditate, and Seamus just grabbed me and fell back asleep. What time is it?"

"Six thirty. Why?" Hermione answered, starting to fold up the blankets and placing them in a pile. Harry smiled and started to slowly try and disentangle himself from Seamus, drawing laughs and giggles from the onlookers.

"Have exercises and training to do, but I guess I won't be able too. We all know that Irish here won't wake up until seven thirty. I'm stuck." The girls laughed. "I did get some meditation in though. Meditation helps more than sleep does. Also helps with Occlumency. There are more things I want to tell you, but you need that first. I don't want some people to figure it out." Everyone nodded, and slowly, the girls filtered out to shower and get ready for the day while Ron, Dean, and Neville started to put the room back together – except for the coffee table, which would have to be put back after Seamus woke up. Then Harry and Ron talked Quidditch while Dean framed some of his Muggle drawings to hang on the wall, and Neville started to make the corkboard bulletin board they had talked about before the summer. It looked nice – a muted gold cloth covered the cork, and a dark cherry wood frame with a sturdy back surrounded it. A strong sticking charm hung it on the wall by the fireplace until they could get some Muggle Command Strips. The girls returned at seven fifteen and the other three boys left. Hermione posted some important dates, while Lavender and Parvati braided each other's hair and Ginny started to study some more. Harry started to try and writhe himself from Seamus' grasp, but it was close to impossible. Seamus had a deceptively strong grip, and while Harry was strong, he didn't want to hurt him. After ten minutes of writhing this way and that, he heard a low chuckle from Seamus.

"I don't want to let go of you, so give it up Harry. I won't be able to do this again, especially once you find your mate, and this is fun." Seamus' voice was slightly bitter, but it was covered well. Harry laughed softly.

"We need to get ready for the day. You kept me from my morning exercises, too." Seamus shrugged, unconcerned. "And now we have to get to breakfast. We have thirty minutes. The coffee table needs to be moved back." Seamus groaned and let go of his captive and the two stood up and went to get ready.

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><p>The nine Gryffindors walked in the Great Hall, talking quietly amongst themselves. Despite the grinning of the three houses that had cursed and ridiculed them, the nine friends ignored them and walked to the Slytherin table, much to the surprise of its occupants. They had obviously thought that things would go back to the way it had been before Harry had gone to training. Harry spared a brief glare at Dumbledore before grinning at Professor McGonagall, who was making her way toward them.<p>

"Mr. Potter, would you please come to my office after you have eaten? We need to discuss your schedule for the rest of the year, and I'm afraid that might mean several tests to see what you know." Harry nodded, and turned to his breakfast. A veggie omlette, several types of fruit with yogurt, and a couple of Danishes made the majority of his breakfast, surprising his friends. Harry had never eaten as much as he just did. Seeing the puzzled glances, he chuckled. "I have a higher metabolism with my increased exercise, so I need to eat more." They nodded, and Ron went back to his scarfing of breakfast, while the others went back to eating. "Malfoy?" Malfoy looked up, puzzled as to why Harry was talking to him. "Thank you for helping my friends when I couldn't. I'm very grateful." Malfoy nodded, and the Slytherins that had heard were shocked. A Gryffindor thanking a Slytherin – simply unheard of!

Finishing their meal, the Gryffindors walked to Professor McGonagall's office. While the others went to the library, Harry entered the office, his bookbag slung over his shoulder.

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><p><strong>AN: Hey, sorry about the wait, but I did warn you guys! Here is the wonderful Chapter Ten. Just so you know, unless I'm doing little children voices (i.e. really young) I won't do any accents. They're pretty difficult for me. I hope this is up to your standards, and just so I don't get any complaints later – I WILL NOT DO ANY SEX SCENE OR THE DREAMS OF THE MATES! I can't write that. Thank you, and untill next time (which I don't know when because of football and marching band) have a nice time! Okay, so I finished this in class, and was trying several different ways of posting this, because you can't do that on the mobile fanfiction, and I COULDN'T! It was frustrating because of my band practice after school, meaning I wasn't home till nearly seven, so sorry I couldn't give it to you earlier.<strong>

**AN Edit: No, it is not a new chapter. I am trying to work on that on top of a lot of other things (like a HUGE English Research Paper), but this is a notice. I have been contemplating the new Image Manager they have added. Anyone wishing to do art for this story is more than welcome to, and if you would like to share, send me a PM, and we'll work things out. If you want to draw something specifically (and I have been trying to draw a few things to go with this) one thing for sure is two canine heads howling at a full moon, and inside that moon, a stag's head with lilies stung through the antlers. Keep in mind that this is a necklace charm that I mentioned a couple chapters back that made Harry's new trunk, so this also needs to be compact. I'm not asking for anyone to do it, but one of my friends saw me trying to draw it, and asked why I didn't have someone else do it. So I'm sure that there are some good artists out there on this site. Have fun, and stay tuned, for I have not abandoned you! :D**


	12. Chapter XI

**AN: Here is another chapter, and it should be soon after last one, if not, then let me tell you, this was started the day after my last update. So if it's late, then I blame my real life. :)**

**Chapter XI**

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><p>Harry stepped into his Head of House's office after shoring up his Occulmency shields. He had sensed more than Professor McGonagall in there and, while sure it was just his core teachers, wasn't sure if the Headmaster had decided to interfere. Taking a quick and thorough glance around the room, he saw Professors McGonagall (with her hair in its usual tight bun and a strict look), Snape (with no expression at all, a shock since he was normally glaring), Flitwick (on a stack of books and bouncing in excitement while grinning widely), Sprout (a relieved and happy expression, as she relaxed into her chair), Sinestra (a tired, but very much relieved look as she stood, most likely to keep from falling asleep, being the night owl she was), Binns (still as dead boring as ever), and a somewhat portly man that Harry surmised to be Slughorn, the new Potions Professor. After nodding to most of them, he approached Professor Snape, who just stared passively at him. He held out an old parchment envelope to him.<p>

"Uncle William and Aunt Petunia found this while going through some of my mother's old school things. It's addressed to you professor. Aunt Petunia said something about 'better late than never' and told me to give it to you." Professor Snape nodded slightly and tucked the envelope into his robes. Harry then turned to the new Professor.

"Good morning sir, my name is Harry Potter." He held out his hand, and startled, Slughorn took it.

"A pleasure, young man. Sorry, you look quite similar to your mother during the last semester of her sixth year. Surprised me quite a bit. Everyone had said you looked like you father. I'm Professor Slughorn, the new Potions Professor." Harry smiled and nodded.

"Congratulations. And the same to you Professor Snape, for your new position. I wish you more luck than Umbridge." Harry turned back to Professor McGonagall. "How would you like to do the testing to see where I am?"

"We'll start with written and theory this morning for Potions, Defense, Herbology, Charms, and then Transfiguration. And then we'll break for lunch. After lunch, we'll have an hour each for your practical portions in those five subjects, in the same order. Tomorrow morning, we'll have your History and Astronomy written, and tomorrow afternoon you'll have your astronomy practical. Professor Sinestra will most likely use a projected night sky in a dark room for that, so don't worry about that." Harry nodded and sat at the lone desk in the room while Professor Slughorn gave him a written test, and the Professors dispersed, except for Professor McGonagall.

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><p>Nursing a slightly cramped hand, Harry walked into the Great Hall and walked towards his friends, who were still at the Slytherin table. Sitting down with a slight groan in between Seamus and Neville, he reached for some shepherd's pie and steamed veggies, adding them to his plate, and them grabbing some apple slices and a glass of pumpkin juice, before hunkering down to eat. Everyone was chatting about their Saturday morning. Seamus and Dean had been with Hermione in the library, while Neville had gone the Greenhouses. Ron and Ginny were still playing a game of chess, and would be down later, and Parvati and Lavender had been looking through more fashion magazines. Everyone had had an uneventful morning.<p>

Seamus poked Harry's side, marveling at the beauty of the young man. "So how is the testing going?" Seamus asked as Harry looked up. Harry grimaced.

"It's okay. I did the written in Potions, Defense, Herbology, Charms, and Transfiguration. I'll do the practicals this afternoon. Tomorrow is History and Astronomy. I figure I'll be fine." Seamus nodded and, lacking anything else to say, turned back to his food.

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><p>Harry returned to Professor McGonagall's office, mentally preparing for the practical, when he felt the presense of the Headmaster. Unbidden, some of what he had done came the front of his mind, and he was thankful that his Occlumency was strong. Memories of Dumbledore obliviating him, drugging him with watered down truth serum, and trying to make his Aunt hate him welled up, and Harry stopped. Quickly calming himself, Harry pinpointed Dumbledore's location – right in Professor McGonagall's office. Covering his magical presense, Harry hid in a nearby alcove, not ready to face him alone. Harry watched amusedly as Dumbledore stalked by, muttering obscenities and how Harry shouldn't be fully trained. After his furious footsteps faded, Harry chuckled. <em>Too late, old goat. I'm nearly fully trained, and I know of your deceptions, including the money you took from my family vaults and the ignoring of my parents will,<em> Harry thought darkly. Shaking his head, Harry turned and walked into Professor McGonagall's office, only to stop short at the sight of her throwing things against the wall.

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><p>At dinner, Harry walked into the hall in a daze. He still hadn't gotten over his Head of House's fit of anger. It had reminded him of why he had always tried his best to not cross her. The look on his face must have told the others that something had happened, because as soon as he sat down, Hermione and Parvati scooped him into a hug, and Draco asked what had happened.<p>

"Dumbledore," was all that Harry was able to choke out before shuddering in fear. That one word continually brought forth Professor McGonagall's anger, and the resulting fit, which had included her losing her controlled speech. The thick Scottish accent, however, had done nothing to cover the threats to Dumbledore's manhood and life. "Later. Need food." With that, Harry hunkered down to an extremely slouched position. Hermione let go, and Parvati moved back to sit with Lavender on Hermione's other side, letting Seamus sit down next to him and sling an arm around him.

"Well, whatever it is, we can work through it. Now are we all having a sleep over again?" Seamus kept his gaze on Harry, wanting to hold him again like he had last night. But Harry shook his head.

"The dreams the book talked about will start tonight. I shouldn't bunk with anyone in the course of the next month. I especially don't want to disturb anyone. I have a cousin whose sixteenth birthday was three months before mine, so three months into my training, her dreams started. I had been having really bad nightmares, and so I was bunking with her. But the way our magic works means that no one can be in the same bed as the dreamer. I only knew what was happening when I was kicked out of the bed by her magic." The other boys in the dorm chuckled at Seamus' determined expression. They knew of his crush on Harry; they also knew that Harry liked him, but was not willing to start anything yet due to his nature as a Jubli-Adder Elf.

"I'd risk that just to make sure you're safe," Seamus muttered as Draco and a few other Slytherins rolled their eyes at the Gryffindors.

"I know, but I don't care. I don't want my magic to hurt anyone. Kat's magic made me feel like I was being booted in the rear." Neville chuckled, knowing that that wouldn't stop Seamus.

"Now, you wanted to know what my problem was earlier, correct?" At the nods from his friends, and the interested looks from the nearby Slytherins, Harry explained what had happened. His friends fell off the benches with laughter, and the Slytherins passed it down the table, snickering at Dumbledore's plight.

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><p>Sunday's tests passed in a breeze, the only hitch being that Dumbledore had decided to try and sabotage them, not realizing that the majority of them were already done and graded. Since he only had his Astronomy practical left, Dumbledore was sent back to his office with several red marks on his face, most hidden by his long beard – or they would have been if Professor Sinestra hadn't hexed it off. But the wrath of three female professors who were very protective of their students was something no one would want to face. It drew laughs from the Slytherin table when he entered at dinner. The Gryffindor house, on the other hand, was far from pleased. That made for an interesting evening in the common room.<p>

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><p>"So why were you laughing at Professor Dumbledore's misfortune?" Harry looked up, and saw McLaggen, an uppity, snobbish seventh year, with an extreme holier-than-thou attitude. "He's a great man, and doesn't deserve that kind of disrespect."<p>

"How do you know we were laughing at him? Maybe we were laughing at a joke that had been told. In fact, it was a joke. But it doesn't deserve to be shared to those who ridicule people in their own house. I heard Professor McGonagall talking to Professor Sprout earlier, telling her that she wished there was a way to punish most of her house, without punishing the sixth years and Ginny." McLaggen, and the rest of the house who had decided to listen in, paled. They knew McGonagall was fair, and loved to see both the quidditch cup and house cup in her office. But if she was willing to lose those…

"You're lying Potter. You're even lying about You-Know-Who being back." McLaggen had apparently become the so-called leader of the house in the time Harry had been training, because several people were nodding in agreement. "I think _you_ are the reason people are disapearing. I think _you_ are killing these people." He turned to walk away, confident that he had just ousted Harry's act.

Harry was pissed. There was no other word to describe what he was feeling. Standing, he raised his wand, causing people to shriek and duck for cover. But his wand was pointed at the ceiling. "I, Harold James Evans-Potter, do swear on my life and my magic that I have never been on the side of the dark, nor shall I never join the side of the dark. So I have spoken, So mote it be."

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><p><strong>AN: So, just in time for thanksgiving, to all American's (myself included). Just needed to get this out, so I cut it short. It is November 16, so about two and a half months. Barely had time to read, with my last Marching season, and my recent English paper. I'm so sorry about the wait, but here it is.<strong>


	13. Chapter XII

**AN: Well, here's the next part of the chapter. Hope you like it. Here is a reminder of where we left off: **_"I, Harold James Evans-Potter, do swear on my life and my magic that I have never been on the side of the dark, nor shall I never join the side of the dark. So I have spoken, So mote it be."_ **Enjoy!**

**Chapter XII**

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><p>Gasps around the common room were heard as Harry then cast <em>Lumos<em>, and the tip of his wand lit up, proving his statement true. Then, still looking at McLaggen, he lowered his wand so that the point was at a downward angle, mostly toward the ground, but the message was clear: mess with me, and I will fight back, immediately.

"You know jack about me McLaggen. I hate Voldemort for what he has done to me. He murdered my parents. Are you willing to call someone a liar on their parents' murderer?" Most of the common room paled, and a lot of them seemed to be trying to distance themselves from McLaggen, but, unknown to them, Professor McGonagall, who had entered as McLaggen had accused him of killing those people, had already seen who sided with whom. It caused her great pain to realize that it was her sixth years and Ginny versus the rest of the house.

"Where have you been hiding the knowledge of the Pureblood ways, Potter? You certainly never showed them before. Just goes to say you have darker thoughts and ways hidden from the world. Maybe you should be-" But whatever he was going to say was cut off by Seamus getting right in his face and pushing him.

Harry walked up behind Seamus and gently pulled him to the side. Then he knelt down to where McLaggen had fallen. "I haven't been hiding them. I was taught them during my training. I also learned to dance properly, politics, weaponry, martial arts, and several advanced forms of offensive and defensive magic. Every Evans is a warrior and a politic. So I really should have been living with them. But do you know who placed me at the Dursley household, and then made it to where, if I left the house of my Uncle Vernon, I would immediately die from losing my magic, since that was a quirk in the warding? Dumbledore. Do you know who made it impossible for Aunt Petunia to divorce Vernon until I was sixteen? Dumbledore. Do you want to know who wants me so untrained that when I am in a fight, it will be almost impossible to win, let alone stay alive? Dumbledore. Except that I'm stronger than he thought. I'm smarter than he thought. My Aunt is sneakier than he thought. He wants me dead. She kept me alive, and taught me to be a child, despite the number of things that were piling on my tiny, four-year-old shoulders." Harry stood, and glared around the common room. "Only you seventh years will recall my first year. At the end of the year, I basically made a speech to my year mates. But here's some background information first. Dumbledore took the Sorcerer's Stone from a hiding place that had kept it safe for ages, and hid it in the school to temp the shade of Voldemort out of hiding. He then had hints dropped about when I was around to tempt me into figuring out what was in the third floor corridor. Well, we figured it out, and at the end of finals, Voldemort struck. No one believed me when I said the Stone was in danger of being stolen, so I decided to go down there that night. I was already in danger of being expelled at the worst. They were wondering if it was a good idea, and I said, and I quote, _**'Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to be expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the House Cup? If I get caught before I get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I am never going over to the Dark Side! I am going through that trapdoor tonight, and nothing you two say is going to stop me. Voldemort killed my parents, remember?' **_Now tell me, does that scream dark?" With that, Harry turned to Professor McGonagall. "I don't blame you for not believing me though. You were thoroughly convinced that the protections were strong, and they were. We nearly lost on your chess board. As it was, Ron sacrificed himself, even though Hermione and I said not to." She nodded.

"I'm here to give you your schedule and a piece of, well it's not really advice, but here it is. Since you have no Divination or History class, you might want to consider some self-study, or learning Healing from Madame Pomfrey. I got a letter from your aunt informing me of the fact that, along with your talent for dangerous situations, you have a knack for healing. The classes you already have can go towards either an Auror or a Healer. It is your decision. Just show up at one of the allotted slots for your free time, and we will know. Now, it is getting late, and everyone has a long day tomorrow. You nine go on to bed. I want a word with the rest of the house."

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><p>The next morning, Harry walked down to the common room, pondering on the dream. It was pretty hard to remember, but he knew that was to be expected. You didn't start remembering the important things until two weeks after the start, but things did get progressively clearer. Shaking his head, Harry pulled out his schedule and looked at it. <em>Well, things hardly change much, do they? Potions first thing Monday morning. I'll share Hermione's book and ingredients until I can owl order a book and extra ingredients. She said she wouldn't mind. <em>Harry pulled himself from his thoughts, and looked up as Hermione bounded down the staircase.

"Well, they do say that when you talk of the devil, he shall appear," he joked as Hermione plopped down in her favorite armchair by the fire. As it was it was early February, they were both glad that the fire had been started before they came down, so that it was nice and hot.

"Why thank you for that compliment Harry. Now, give me your schedule." They grinned at each other, glad to have the old camaraderie back. He handed it over, and then pulled out last year's Potions, Transfigurations, and Care of Magical Creatures book out. While he had decided to drop the class, he would do independent study and take the NEWT nest year, and do the same with History. "Hmm, not bad, matches with mine and Ron's – which also means Seamus is in most of your classes as well." Hermione grinned as Harry blushed, and shushed her, unaware of Seamus on the staircase, blushing slightly and grinning broadly. He had woken up a little before Harry, and gotten to enjoy the sight of him at the end of the dream. It had made him jealous that someone else would get to enjoy that sight in the next year, but he would take what he could. With that thought, he walked the last bit of the way into the common room, and sat next to Harry, throwing an arm over his shoulders.

"Hey, how come you two are always the early birds? Can't you sleep in at all?" He mock pouted as the two laughed at him.

"Yeah, we can. But it is weird to see you up and about this early, Sea1. What gives? You never get up, even for food." Harry turned to face him, trying to ignore the extreme warmth coming from the body next to him, and looked at him. Seamus still had a bit of sleep in his eyes, and Harry resisted the urge to wipe at it.

Seamus stuck his tongue out at the small male, also trying to ignore the heat from Harry. "I just, well, I don't know what woke me up. I was awake when you started moving around, getting ready for the day." At this, Harry did blush, making Hermione chuckle. "So, you two just, wait for everyone to come down before eating? How do you handle it?"

"Practice!" Harry and Hermione grinned, before Harry continued. "Some days we talk, other days we do homework, and sometimes we just cuddle, and get a little more sleep!"

Seamus raised an eyebrow as Harry bounced before collapsing forward onto Seamus' lap, snoring softly. Hermione giggled.

"I've been watching him all morning. It's a shock to see him just drop like that, since he hasn't shown any sign of tiredness. I think he's not been as tired with his exercises. But it's funny too. You haven't seen him drop, and your expression was good," explained Hermione. "Now, Ginny, Lavender, and Parvati will be down soon. Just let him rest." Seamus nodded, trying not to shift as Harry moved slightly so that his face was facing Seamus' stomach.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, first off, what's in bold and italics is from <strong>_**Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, **_**page 270 of the US edition hardback copy. Also, Sea is pronounced Shay.**

**I don't have any excuse for the tardiness of this chapter other than I was dealing with finals and the craziness I call family. I hope everyone had a very wonderful Christmas, and has a good new year. Welcome to 2013, we have defied the Myans!**


	14. Chapter XIII

**AN: Alrighty. I'm a bad girl. I am just starting this on 31 January 2013, and I don't really have much of an excuse, other than school is getting to me, and I personally won't allow that as an excuse. So we left off with **_'Seamus nodded, trying not to shift as Harry moved slightly so that his face was facing Seamus' stomach.' _**So let us begin.**

**Chapter XIII**

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><p>Harry shuffled his face closer into the warmth in front of him, ignoring the whispers and laughter. He was <em>comfy,<em> dammit, and he didn't have to listen to whomever that was telling him to wake up! Harry wrapped his arms around the firm waist in front of him, and nuzzled even closer, before his thoughts caught up to him. _Wait, what happened? I know it's not night time so what. . . Oh, I dropped. Who was it? Seamus?_ Groaning, Harry tightened his arms briefly, then loosened them, stretching like a cat. Opening his eyes, thankful he no longer needed glasses, Harry looked up. _Yep, it was Seamus. Damn._ Seamus was looking at Harry with an odd mix of embarrassment and amusement, one hand in Harry's hair. The two stared at each other until Ron stood.

"Come on _lovebirds_, or we won't get breakfast. OW!" Hermione stood next to him, book – and eyebrow – raised in exasperation. "What was that for?"

"That was for being an insensitive prat and having the emotional range of a teaspoon, _Ronald_. Now, we do need to hurry up. It took longer than usual to wake you up Harry. Does everyone have their school bags, and everything they need for class?" At the nods, everybody formed up, something they had taken to doing when Harry wasn't there, but they still had a spot for him – in the very middle. He wasn't entirely pleased.

"Really guys? I can take care of myself, you know." The looks he received said to go along with it. _On the upside, I'm right next to Seamus._ Harry shrugged, deciding it had something to do with the attacks of the other students these past five months. On the way to breakfast, the eight Harry had been forced to leave behind talked about their homework and where their trouble spots were. Harry looked on, amusedly. Apparently, Professor Snape was easier to deal with as the Defense professor than as the Potions Master. According to him, Potions was the most dangerous thing out there, and Harry agreed. After all, spell damage was generally easier to fix than an explosion due to a potion brewed incorrectly. He knew that from personal experience. Once in the Great Hall, the group veered off, and headed to the Slytherin Table. What happened last night was still fresh in the minds of every Gryffindor, and the nine students that hadn't gotten in trouble were being glared at by everyone at their table. Blaise Zabini looked between the group and their table, Draco raised an eyebrow, and Pansy Parkinson asked the million galleon question.

"What happened between you and your house? The glares had been going down, and now they are back full throttle." Pansy's long black hair was in a simple French braid, and her dark chocolate eyes pierced the group, demanding answers. However, Harry, having smelt the coffee, did not hear the question. Blaise, his dark tan contrasting with his rare light blue eyes, shook his head, dark hair falling into his eyes. Parvati stared for a little, before shaking herself out of it. The three Slytherins watched in detached amusement as Harry took a mug and filled it half way with caramel flavored creamer, and the rest of the way with coffee, adding four sugar cubes, and, once mixed together, downed it like water, before making another mug and pulling forward some breakfast.

"What was that Pansy?" Hermione asked, ignoring Harry, who had been doing this every weekday since Christmas first year.

"What happened last night?" Draco slapped Harry's hand, which had been reaching for his bacon, only to groan as Harry's other hand sneaked through and grabbed it. Ron sighed.

"Pansy, McLaggen is what happened. He, and the entire house, basically accused Harry of killing these people that are dying. Professor McGonagall saw, and punished them. How, we don't know. Draco, welcome to the family. You aren't family until Harry steals your bacon, because that means he trusts you." Draco looked at Harry, shocked, as Pansy and Blaise yelped quietly in shock of noticing their bacon missing as well. Harry grinned at them unrepentantly, causing the Gryffindors to shake their heads at him. Harry started to bounce in his seat a little.

"So, is there anything I need to know before Potions? What is he like? Is he strict like Professor Snape, or is he a push over? If he's a push over, then I'm going to drop his class and do Independent Study. I don't like push overs in the Potions lab, because there is a higher risk of explosions, which is why I'm a little upset with losing Professor Snape in there. Yeah he could be a little too intimidating, but at least you knew that explosions weren't caused by a complete lack of regard to lab safety – most of the time." Harry said this fast, glaring lightly in Draco's direction. Hermione sighed and took Harry's coffee mug, which he had been about to pour in his fifth helping of coffee, and replaced it with milk. He pouted for a while; before Seamus moved his mug to the side a bit, letting Harry take some as he answered.

"Slughorn is a tad more relaxed, but I get the feeling – from listening to younger years – that he doesn't like it when sabotage and horse play happen in the lab. So, he doesn't seem intimidating, but he's still not a professor to cross. I've also heard from some Seventh years that Professor Snape was more lax in the NEWT level classes anyway. Maybe because we know better now. And Professor Snape actually looks happier in the Defense position. There have only been two times I have learned more – from Professor Lupin, and from you. It's a shame that the position's cursed. I wouldn't mind Snape teaching us next year too." Harry looked around, seeing everyone nod in agreement. Draco spoke up.

"About that sabotage – I tried to keep it to things that wouldn't be harmful to the potion or anyone else. It was expected of me to do that, and the only reason I'm able to talk to you right now is because my mum is finally safe and I've _said_ that I'm using this as an opportunity to either bring you to the Dark Lord or get you to change sides. Obviously, what really happens is that I'm going to change sides." Harry nodded, taking the statement for what it really was – an apology. He looked at his remaining eggs and bacon, before grabbing a bowl, placing his scrambled eggs and bacon in it, then grabbed two over easy eggs and mixed it all together, grinning as the runny yolk made it mix easier, adding some fried potatoes and ketchup. Ignoring the odd looks from the Slytherins, Harry happily scooped some onto a piece of toast. Lavender shook her head, glancing at Harry in confusion. _How can he stand that?!_ At that point, mail arrived, and with it came an eagle owl even more majestic than the one that brought Draco his sweets. Everyone gasped as the crest on the sash it wore became visible – the Evans clan. Whispers rose and circulated the rooms. _Who are they contacting? They haven't contacted anyone since before the First Voldemort War ended. Who has caught their attention? _The whispers grew even louder as they saw the majestic owl – completely black with white claws and beak – head towards the Slytherin table, but they completely died as it landed in front of one Harry Potter, who, if the other Gryffindors were to be believed (and most did believe them), went out and killed everyone who was pronounced dead. The Gryffindors paled as one. The Evans clan was protective of their family, and their allies. It was well known that, before they disappeared, they were allies with the Weasley family, the Longbottom family, the Finnegan family, and the Patil family. It was also easy to tell that those allies had expanded to the Grangers, Thomas', and the Browns. They were not going to go easy on those who hurt them. The Evans clan were said to be merciless fighters, professional healers, and trained mercenaries – all while still being on the side that betters the world and being completely nice and sociable. Harry, knowing that this owl would be coming today, calmly removed the letter, and scratched the owl, feeding it some bacon from Draco's plate. Draco was too stunned by the owl to notice. Finally, Harry raised his arm, upon which the owl was perched, and it flew off.

"He's going up to the dorm. Legend is able to find the property and return. Hedwig can find it, but not get on the property. She isn't a full clan owl yet. But she seems to like him. I wonder what they have to say. I'll read it later though. We have to get to class." Harry stood, polishing off his banana. Seamus groaned mentally. This was not going to be easy. His plans to tell Harry his feeling were going down the drain with the announcement that Harry had a predestined mate out there. He would hold out hope that it was him, because Harry said that it was usually someone the Elf was close to, but he wouldn't hold too much. Just a little hope could hurt if it wasn't him. But he would handle it if it made his Harry happy.

Harry turned to Ron, Hermione, and Neville – the only Gryffindors in that class – and raised an eyebrow. "If Hermione told me right, and she is rarely wrong, we all have Transfiguration next, so see you then. Ginny, I'll see you in passing or at lunch, whichever comes first. Be careful, all of you. That owl should have warned people off, but some are just too dense to get it the first time. Has Luna participated?" Ginny shook her head in the negative answer, and Harry gave a feral grin. "Then we have an inside spy to the Ravens. I think Susan Bones and/or Hannah Abbott will help us. You guys know what I'm talking about. We need a private spot for lunch. Draco, Pansy, Blaise, we need to talk to you at lunch as well." With that, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville walked off to Potions, leaving Lavender and Parvati to Divinations, Neville, Dean, and Seamus to Care of Magical Creatures, and Ginny to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, there is nest to no excuse for this. I tried adding some extra length, but I don't know if it happened. I've had cases of writer's block. I don't know when I'll update. But one thing that happened was February 1<strong>**st****, one of my classmates died. I'm a little depressed – English hasn't been the same. Happy reading – and remember – no matter how long the wait is, I won't abandon either of my stories.**


	15. Chapter XIV

**AN: Okay, started April 3. I've noticed that I've stopped doing the disclaimers, so I **

**will try and post a reminder of where to look for them at the beginning of this – and following – chapters. Disclaimer can be found in the beginning chapters. **

**A bit of background information that has not been given in the story: 1) when he wasn't testing, and before going to bed, Harry has been teaching his friends Occlumency, Meditation, and strength exercises. 2) The wayward Gryffindors have become fairly close to the Slytherins, especially the Sixth Years. 3) We are about to find out just what Dumbledore has done wrong.**

**As I was planning this chapter, I realized that I had left the first two out of previous chapters, and didn't feel like rewriting them to fix it. And let's just say that, because of Harry's success in teaching the DA, he can teach any form of defense really well, even mental defense, so his friends have good shields after two days of meditation and learning.**

**Without further ado, I present to you . . . **

**Chapter XIV**

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><p>Morning classes left Harry pissed. Even though people were obviously confused about what happened this morning, many were still bullying his pack – his family. Apparently, the promise Joslin made – that he would hurt anyone who hurt him or his friends – would be coming into play eventually. Rolling his eyes, he exited Charms Theory with Hermione, Neville, Ron, and Seamus and headed to the Kitchens with Hermione while the others went to get everyone else and go to the lake.<p>

"So how is your mental training going? Do you think everyone is ready to hide this?" Harry looked up at his bookish friend, noticing out of the corner of his eye that some seventh year Gryffindors were following them. From Hermione's stance, she noticed it too.

"Harry, how many times do we have to tell you, you are a wonderful teacher, and can teach anyone, anything. You even cleared up some questions that Professor Snape was unable to answer. So yes, we are ready for whatever you verbally throw at us." Hermione's brown hair, now so much smoother than it used to be, bobbed up and down in time with her movements as she skipped along. Harry chuckled, and skipped alongside her. Skipping, while not as effective as running, was good enough to put distance between them and their followers, without alerting the followers to the fact that they knew they were there.

"I'm just saying, some of it was enough to make my cousin horrified, and he enjoys horror movies like they're going out of fashion. _I_ was horrified, and, with what happens at the end of a school year, that's kind of difficult to do." Hermione raised an eyebrow, doubting that this was completely true. Harry caught the look. "Well, not blood and gore type horror, but more illegal type horror. I won't say more just yet." Hermione nodded, and they continued on, allowing the seventh years to catch up. "So, what do we want on this picnic. It's you, me, Ron, Lav, Vati, Sea, Dean, Nev, Dray, Pans, Daph, Tracey, Theo, Blaise, Vin, and Greg. We'll need a lot of chicken, well, food in general. Ron, Greg, and Vin are black holes. Basically we need food for twenty. Pumpkin juice, water, fish, I'm really in the mood for some grilled fish. I know our female Snakes like fresh greens for lunch. Basically, stuff that is normally put out, right?" Hermione nodded, amused by Harry's prattle about food.

"Have you just been wanting to eat healthier? I've noticed a big difference in the foods you've been eating. They're a lot healthier than they used to be. Although, you haven't stopped the coffee or Treacle Tart." Harry grinned and nodded.

"When you work out a lot, healthy foods give you more energy. It's just easier to do that all the time. You know, I've noticed that my spell work got better after I started working out. Should I do that with you guys? The Room would be good enough, it can transform into what we need." Hermione sighed.

You better go light on us to begin with. Why do you think your spell work got better?" Hermione reached out and tickled the pear, allowing the seventh years, who had steadily gotten closer until they pushed the two out of the way to enter before them. Harry got a confused look – maybe they weren't following them, but his instincts told him they were. Harry followed, grabbing the door to let Hermione in, before turning to Dobby, who was charging him.

"Mister Harry Potter! Mister Harry Potter! Yous is returning! Is knew yous would be back! Is tolds Winky so!" Harry grunted as Dobby attached himself to his waist, subtly moving Harry and Hermione further from the leering seventh years, furthering Harry's suspicion about them. _Why are they following us? Did the Old Goat put them up to it? Or is it because of McLaggen and his sorry ass?_ Looking down, Harry grabbed Dobby, and hugged him tightly.

"I missed you too, my midget friend. How are you doing? Is Winky doing better? I would like to talk to the two of you later, but that can wait. Also, we," Harry motioned towards himself and Hermione, who was amused by the little elf's appearance (youth's gym shorts, Ron's sweater from two Christmas' ago, four little hats, three scarves, a black sock identified as a school sock, and a mustard yellow sock), "would like a picnic basket for sixteen. We are meeting a group of friends for lunch to talk without getting headaches from the noise. It's also fairly nice out – with a few Charms." Dobby grinned as the other elves bowed and got to work. From their midst, Winky stepped forward, not wearing a tea-towel toga, but the outfit Crouch Sr. had given her. Now, however, it was cleaned and pressed. Winky still looked extremely sad, but was coping better from the promise Harry had given her last year. When he graduated, he would buy her and give her a home and family to clean and serve like she wanted. Dobby was also willing to give up freedom, instead, wanting to be paid in yarn to make socks. Winky was willing to take needles, fabric, and thread if he insisted (which he would insist upon).

"Would tonight be okay, Young Master?" Her high pitched squeak made the nearby seventh year jump back. Harry nodded as Hermione accepted a large basket from the returning elves. After saying their farewells, the two turned to leave, only to find their path blocked by the two seventh years.

"You know you aren't supposed to eat outside the Great Hall, right?" Harry snorted. They were both big and burly, more like body guards than anything else.

"Just like you aren't supposed to bully other students. Oh wait, neither are written in the rule book. It's common courtesy not to bully other students, and I overheard the Grey Lady talk about the Founder's time, where students often ate outside the Great Hall, and there were no such things as House Tables. They encouraged people to mingle. But that isn't in the books either. So, we aren't in the wrong. You, however, along with most of the school, are in the wrong. Cursing, hexing, jinxing, attacking, they are all forms of bullying. So please back off." Harry stepped forward, head held high, allowing the lantern light to reflect his odd eyes, knowing that the effect, along with the cold, hard stare, was very intimidating. With half his hair imitating blood, and the other half imitating a black night, it was enough to make even the most foolish of people back off, no matter how much they didn't want to.

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><p>Harry and Hermione arrived at the lake, still laughing at the reaction of the seventh years. Looking around, Harry spotted their favorite hideaway, a large, but shallow, pit in a cluster of rocks. It was very protected from the elements, and didn't really require any heating charms. Draco, Gregory, Vincent, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean were laughing as they melted some snow, while Lavender, Parvati, Ginny, Pansy, Daphne, and Tracey sat on the rocks. Harry frowned and turned to Hermione.<p>

"I've just realized, Millicent Bulstrode isn't here. What happened to her?" Hermione smiled sadly, and Harry knew it wasn't good.

"Her family was killed just before school started. She has an aunt, who took her in, then transferred her to Durmstrang. From what I understand, she doesn't like it, at all." Harry nodded sadly as Hermione conjured a big blanket on the ground. The others turned, and grinned at the sight of the large basket.

"What about Theodore Nott?" Draco sighed. Pansy sniffled.

"Theo's mother was killed just before Christmas Holiday. She was the only person protecting him from his father. Mr. Nott immediately transferred him to Durmstrang. The only thing we have gotten from his coded letters, which his father was unable to decode, was that if he didn't join the Dark Lord this summer, then he would be made an example of, whatever that means. At least he and Millicent are able to be near each other." Daphne snickered at the end of Tracey's explanation.

"It's well known in Slytherin that those two have had the hots for each other since first year," she explained for the benefit of the confused Gryffindors. Gregory, Vincent, and Ron all looked at each other and shrugged.

"This is all fine and dandy, but we only have a certain amount of time to eat and Harry's got stuff to tell us." Ron sat down on some conjured pillows, pulling the basket closer to unpack. The others rolled their eyes and followed suit. Soon, everyone was settled, and had gotten the majority of their hunger satisfied.

Harry looked around at his friends faces. "What I am about to tell you is absolutely confidential until I tell the authorities. Guys," he turned to the Slytherins, "two things. One, I hope you have been practicing Occlumency. I know Pureblood families that follow the Old Ways teach their children that particular art. Two, you will have a chance later to say 'I told you so.' Understand?" They nodded, and Harry turned back to the whole group. "Over the course of my training, I got to know why they were interested in me, Dudley, and Aunt Petunia. My aunt was teaching me some martial arts, and seemed to know the family quite well. Well, it turns out that they are a squib/muggle/magical family. With the exception of some of the mates, the Evans Hierarchy is mainly a group of high powered squibs. They are also my family. Aunt Petunia never found her mate. Just before her sixteenth birthday, she was raped for the first time. The rapist was Vernon Dursley. That interrupted her innate magic trying to find her mate. Then, in 1976, she fell pregnant by Vernon Dursley, who had continued raping her. That man is now twenty, and he was the one who picked me up on my sixteenth birthday. I spent the next six months learning not only learning what needs to be learned after inheritance, but what I should have learned while growing up. This leads to my next piece of information. My parents stated in their wills that I should not be placed with my Aunt Petunia as long as she was still in the vicinity of one Vernon Joshua Dursley. They did not trust Dumbledore at all, unlike what he has been telling people. They called him Dark. They were right, just not in the sense of what magic he uses. So called Dark magic is just emotionally powered magic, instead of intent based. The killing curse is actually light magic. You don't need any emotion to cast it, only the intent to kill. But the Patronus Charm is Dark. You need a powerful, positive emotion to make it work." Harry paused to drink some hot chocolate – despite what he told those Seventh years, it was cold out here. He smiled as he watched Draco and Pansy, Hermione and Ron, Blaise and Parvati, Dean and Tracey, and Neville and Ginny subconsciously snuggle together for warmth. Those were cute couples. "But Dumbledore, he uses intent based magic, for the most part. However, he uses it for Dark purposes. Then, there are the things I told Gryffindor house about. Dumbledore put wards around Vernon's house that meant if I ran away, or Aunt Petunia took me and Dudley and ran for it, I would be drained of my magic. Then there was a charm that made Vernon hate me more than he probably would have if it wasn't there. It made him beat me, almost to death sometimes. But I took it; I took it so that Aunt Petunia didn't have to. I knew that I would eventually go to a boarding school, I just didn't know about magic. I also knew that Aunt Petunia wouldn't be safe when I went to boarding school. I don't know how I did it, but I broke the magic suppression charms that Dumbledore placed on me so that I could protect her from a distance. A protection ward of sorts. Dumbledore never found out. He expects me, and wants me, to die when Voldemort and I face off. That much magic running through my body with the suppressor? Please, I wouldn't have survived." The girls were looking horrified, while the guys were shocked. Seamus stood, walked behind Harry, sat down, and drew him into his lap, burying his face in Harry's wayward hair. Harry stroked Seamus' dark tan arm, comforting him as best he could. "After that, if I had somehow managed to survive, he would either kill me quietly, and claim the victory, or declare me Dark, and kill me publically. The only reason we know this is because we have spies everywhere. Only Mimi and Popo know who every spy is. I only know of four. But I can't tell you who. We also have a way of tracking magical signatures. Four people who have been proclaimed dead, we have locks on their magical signatures, so we know that they are alive. But we have to wait for the summer. Dumbledore's blackened hand? That means he's dying of some sort of curse, but it was contained. He will live until the end of the school year, at least. That curse threw a wrench in his plans. We have to wait for him to die before we can put any of our plans into action. When he dies, all his enchantments and spells will break, and most of his lies will be exposed automatically. But we have to stay under the radar, magical or otherwise. Understood?" Everyone nodded, still shocked and horrified, but now with a deeper understanding. They would, and could, wait for payback. No one got away with nearly killing their friend. No one.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, first off, I have no excuse for the tardiness of this chapter. I was just too damn lazy to pull out my flash drive and work on it. On the upside, I have a job. On the downside, school is about to start, and I will have less time to work on this. But I swear I will do what I can when I can. Okay?<strong>

**At least this is longer than it normally is! It's just over four pages. I'm trying to work up to a higher chapter length, but it's just not working yet. I think that, when I get the story finished, I'll bring it down, and combine chapters. Still haven't decided, but if I do decide to do that, then I'll keep this version up until I have finished the new one. But I'm still thinking on this.**

**Also, I noticed a discrepancy in my writing. In one chapter, I say that Kathryn's birthday was a few months before Harry's, but when I have him telling his friends about the dreams, and I had him say that her birthday was a few days before his. We will go with the one that says a few months. This will be all fixed up after I have finished the story.**

**Thanks for your patience,**

**CheyennePotter95**


	16. Author's Note

_**Author's Note**_

Hello my wondrous readers,

I've made a decision concerning this story. No, it will not be abandoned, but I will put it on hold and rewrite it. I don't know how long that will take – I am in my first semester ever of college, and trying to balance school and work is very tiring (looks guiltily at phone, which is showing me all the stories I've been reading while on the bus) and I hardly have any time to even sleep. I will keep this going, but I don't know how similar or different the new version will be compared to this one. The name will change too. I'm not sure what it will be yet, give me some time. I already have one choice. That particular title I have thought of is _**The Return of the Evans Clan**_. You are more than welcome to suggest more, and when I deem that I have enough, I will post a poll, and the one with the most votes will more than likely be the new title.

I do have a few ideas that I want some feedback on:

Genderbending – in other words Female Harry. Good, Bad, or just Cross Dressing.

If I make Harry female, should I hide him/her as a boy, or do I keep him/her in the girl's dorm?

These are the only one's bugging me right now; I will more than likely add more as time goes on. Please drop a review with your opinions – I will gladly appreciate them and take them into account as I rewrite this story. Also, if you are all for fem!Harry, and you have an idea for a name, please leave it in the review.

I would like to take this moment to thank those who have been there since the beginning, or very close to the beginning – my sister, VampireWitch96 (who has changed her name at least twice now) and Goldpen especially, for being my regular reviewers. I hope to see you again when I rework this piece, and I hope you stay satisfied with it.

I would also like to extend this thanks to a guest who said this story would work better as an original fiction. It was his words that make me go back and reread what I had written to find, yes, I was extremely OOC and there was very little original. I would also like him to know that this is not the only work out there like this, they just put up the warnings that I forgot to put up. I will fix that this time. As of right now, I know this will be OOC, and quite possibly AU. I am still unsure about that last one.

As a side note, no, I am not abandoning my other story either.

With lots of love to my precious readers,

CheyennePotter95, signing off to implement the new changes.

PS This note is probably the longest note I've written yet.


	17. Author's Note 2

_**Author's Note**_

Hello my wondrous readers,

Okay, I know this isn't too long after the first one, but I have to know ... well, back story first. I have this friend who hate having to go onto this site for some odd reason, but loves my stories. She reads the chapter after I print it out and hand it to her. She started to notice how I was slightly emulating the 'Harry Potter grows up mafia' stories that I like. My question to you guys is - Should I take it to the mafia level? Because once she pointed it out, I noticed that, yes, my future plans for the Evans Family were very mafia like. I'm sure this development will lose me some readers, and gain me some readers, but I really want opinions. Not to sound like I'm begging, but I'm stating (more like begging) that opinions make my day. They put a smile on my face, a thought in my mind, and an itch in my fingers to write, even in my blackest of moods. no matter how tired I am, no matter how much pain I'm in, I will take the time to mull over the opinions. And for those who just write encouragements, I thank you so much, they help just as much, if not in the same way, then in keeping my spirits up, making me tell myself, "I can't just quit, they need me to write more."

Okay, enough on that for now - I feel myself getting a cavity or five from all that. So far on the Harry issue, we have two name suggestions, one dorm suggestion, two for Fem!Harry, three for Crossdressing!Harry, and two for Male Harry. I will be keeping track, and updating this every other day or so, and when I feel I have enough, I will start the poll, and have that going for a couple of weeks. I know it seems extensive, but I want to have as many possibilities as possible. I also have a new request: For the Crossdressing!Harry, please, if you have ideas, also drop a name for Harry to respond to as a girl (think Ouran High School Host Club - Ranka is the female version of Haruhi's dad, and Royji is the male). Also, I notice that not many have title ideas. I'm open to suggestions, I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to push you, but until the Harry thing is taken care of, I can barely rewrite anything. I'm just writing notes (almost six full pages, about to start the seventh) over the characters.

Also, I got to thinking, is this pairing really what you want? I can change it. I'm still trying to piece this all back together. Personally, I find it rather difficult to write this pairing. If you think another one would be better, leave a note. You don't have to, it's just been bothering me for a while.

On a side note: I'm going to be trying to add a lot of pranks. I just need ideas. I have a very different sense of humor, and what I find to be a good prank leaves others very frustrated with me. PM me any pranks that you would like to see, and I'll find a good place for them. Just a heads up now, I might change a few aspects, and mix it with other pranking elements. If you feel that is acceptable, then leave a prank in my PM box.

This is turning to be quite long. That's a little worrisome for me. I hate long notes, even if it adds to the word count of an actual chapter (not the right way to go around that in my opinion). I'll leave it at that for now.

See you in a couple of days, perhaps.

This is **CheyennePotter95**, signing off.


	18. A Final Author's Note

As of today, I am putting both stories on hold, for three reasons: a) too little time, b) too many holes in my story planning (I keep making mistakes that bring too much forward at one time), and c) too little inspiration to continue one of them right now. Return of the JubliAdder Elves: I lost all my notes. I think I might end up trashing it, unfortunately. I hate to do this, and I actually feel like my heart is breaking, but there it is. A Different Kind of Bravery: will be continued, but I have to go through and fix it. It will be brought down and reposted. To everyone who has followed and favorited: I am deeply sorry for this. As I stated earlier, I feel my own heart breaking for all this. It is tearing me apart. It may be a while before I come back, and I'm sorry. I will continue reading and favoriting, myself, but that would be from a smart phone. I am currently working from a tablet. Any and all changes to the stories will be made when I come back. Thank you for all the support you guys have given me during all this - even when I hardly update. Ciao, my lovely readers! ~CheyennePotter95 


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